Love's Philosophy
by LadyRiona
Summary: Okay, this story kind of coincides with LOTR with that it derives from the LOTR world. Other than that, it is original. I hope you enjoy it, and you have to read this to find out if you like it or not.
1. Chapter 1

A/N and Disclaimer: Okay.I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters from it. I do not own any jazz music because I don't write it. I do not own the song by Frank Sinatra or In the Mood. They belong to the people who wrote them. I do not own Tylenol. I do not own the Internet, or MSN (Messenger). I do not own the Elvish I use. It belongs to the Grey Company, where I found the Elvish I use. The Elvish is Quenya, I think, not Sindarin. So, Tolkien purists, don't get your panty- hose/trousers/boxers/whatever in a bunch that I'm using the High Elven language. Just get over it. I do, however, own Lissa and Delemir. Emily, I do not own, because that, in fact, is one of my friends. I own Lissa because she's me. ;) Anyway. Anything else that is brand named that I forgot about, I do not own and will never own because I am just writing for fun.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Lissa sighed dramatically as she turned the knob on her dryer, switching it on for seventy minutes. Turning swiftly, her long reddish-brown hair whipping around her, she rounded the countertop in the center of her kitchen. She placed the backs on earrings she had previously discarded that afternoon in a frantic wave to become herself again, humming along to the jazz pouring out of her radio. She placed the earrings, two stars, each different colors, on her notebook and carried them with her into her dining room. She placed them on the big freezer by the door and looked around.  
  
She had never really wanted a big house, yet had felt compelled to buy this certain place for a certain reason. What the reason was, she had no idea presently. But, hopefully soon, she'd figure it out. The ceiling was high in the spacious dining room, a candelabra hanging from the center of the ceiling. The gleaming hardwood floors shone with reflections from the lights above it, glaring magnificently. Or terribly, Lissa mused.  
  
Turning on her heel back into the kitchen, she took a gulp of the nearly forgotten milk she had poured for some cookies, she switched her radio off and set the cup in the sink to be dealt with later. She walked out of the kitchen and picked up her notebook and the accursed earrings then started towards her room to the far left of the dining room. Turning sharply and dangerously, a smirk on her tanned face, she walked to her dresser and set the items in her hand there with a clump.  
  
Unbuttoning her baby blue blouse, she kicked a button on her CD player and a Frank Sinatra song came out. She hummed along with it, pulling a soft, white, linen nightdress from her closet and slipping it on. She pulled her cut-offs down her thighs and kicked them away into a pile of dirty laundry. Comfortable, Lissa yawned hugely and stretched. She switched off her light, turned the volume down on her radio and moved to her bathroom to brush her teeth.  
  
As she was doing so, she looked in the mirror and saw the curtains in front of the window billow out and a soft rain pattering outside on her deck. She sighed, finishing the task of brushing her teeth, and turned around to shut the window. As she was shutting it, she saw a man out in the alleyway behind her house. His clothes were ratty looking and his hair was oily. He had liver spots on his face, which stood out a light brownish color against his silvery-white skin and hair. Lissa fought the urge to jolt as she found herself under his piercing green gaze. She calmly shut the window and turned, shuddering. Rubbing her temples in distress and exhaustion, she locked her window and shut the bathroom light off. She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and fell onto her bed, instantly leaping into the world of sleep as a man dying in a desert would a pool of icy cold water.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Blood. Everywhere, there was thick, crimson blood. The faces of fallen Elves stared back at Delemir cold and lifelessly. Their faces were frozen in the fear they had felt before they had been murdered, put to a premature death. Their eyes stared at him, emotionless and frigid. Delemir shuddered unconsciously as he walked aimlessly passed them.  
  
He didn't know where he was going, or why he was still walking. He hurt so badly that he wondered why he was still standing and hadn't fallen into a world of no pain already. Why hadn't he died with the other Elves? Why wasn't he in the Halls of Mandos with them right now? He had too many questions and so little answers. And much less than he could comprehend.  
  
The single most thought that what in his head right now was that he hurt, both emotionally and physically.  
  
Then he saw it. Up on a hill was a dark figure, slaying Elves by the flick of his wrist. Slaying his kin and friends, those that he had felt special bonds with. For one solid minute, Delemir was still as a stone. His knees buckled, but he stood up straight; his vision clouded, but he still stared in front of him; his heart seemed to have stopped beating, but was replaced in his head. Blood pounded in his ears so that was the only thing he heard; only thing he wanted to hear.  
  
Finally able to move again, see again, Delemir charged forward and up the hill. Something told him to stop, to just stop and go away. He fought against that part, though nothing else was saying to go forward but that one little spot on his brain that sought vengeance on this Black Slayer.  
  
When the cloaked figure turned and saw Delemir, heard his battle cry, the figure merely laughed. The sound was cold and humorless. It only held sly amusement and the glee evil feels when completing a dirty deed.  
  
Sword raised high above his head, Delemir charged the figure. The evil creature raised his arm in front of him, chanted words that Delemir couldn't understand. Then, this awful feeling surged through Delemir. First, hot, searing pain spread through him, only to be replaced by cold plunging deep into his body, into his bones. A feeling of something being ripped out of him went through Delemir, causing him to cry out in the sudden pain. It felt like his very soul was being ripped from him.  
  
And it was, but instead of going to the dark, cloaked figure, it went to another world.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sighing and jabbing the wake button on her alarm clock viciously, Lissa grumbled inaudibly and pulled the comforter over her head again. Rolling over, she squinted in the morning sun as it found an opening between the blankets and her face. Grumbling still, she kicked the tangle of covers off of her and made her way to her bathroom to shower.  
  
She'd had a very odd dream. She'd dreamt that there was this tall, blonde, drop-dead gorgeous man in her house with smoldering blue eyes and skin pale as ice, almost. Kicking on her radio to hear Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" blaring through it, she shut the door in her bathroom and turned on the taps over the tub. She glanced out the window, happy to see that freakish old man gone, and began to undress.  
  
After undressing, she switched the shower tap on and stepped into the hot spray. Going through the usual routine of shampooing her hair, then conditioning it, then the body wash bit, she hummed along with the radio outside the door.  
  
Upon hearing a clatter as she was wrapping her long hair in a towel, she belted and tied her white robe and walked out into her bedroom. She poked her head out into the dining room and had a clear view all the way to the front door of her house. Nothing was out of order or place, she decided, and went back into her room. She changed into gray sweat pants and a red thermal shirt to guard her against the upcoming winter in Crystal City, Virginia.  
  
Stepping out into the dining room and into the kitchen, she grabbed an apple and a small juice box-she lived off of those-and made her way to her living room, AKA writing studio. She surveyed everything to make sure it was all okay.  
  
Her antique clock her father had given her was still on the mantel, the radio, of which she seemed to live off of also, was still in the corner, the old record player, dusty and neglected, was still in one piece by the opening to the dining room. Blast, she thought upon seeing the old chunk of wood and mechanical pieces still there. She rolled her eyes and looked over at the couch.  
  
Her candles were still there, the throws over the side of the arms of the couch were there, the tall handsome man from her dream was there on her couch, too, sleeping, and the big dictionary she kept on the side tables were in place. Everything was-Wait.  
  
The tall, handsome man from her dream on her couch, sleeping? That wasn't right.how did he-?  
  
"Oh, no," she murmured, scrubbing her hand over her face. "I haven't fully woken up yet, that's what it is. I'm still sleeping and having a really screwed up dream, or one of my friends are suffering a really bad hangover right now and will be suffering worse when I get my hands on them." She pinched her arm and winced. Looking up, she felt like screaming, but didn't want to wake up the sleeping figure on her couch.  
  
"I'll just." She trailed off when the figure in question moaned slightly as one does after waking from sleep. "Just hope this is a bad dream and that I'll wake up later," she finished when she finally noticed the being slept with his eyes open.  
  
When she saw his vision clear slightly, he looked around until his gaze settled on her. Lissa held perfectly still and dared not to blink, even. With an apple in one hand, a juice box in another, she looked quite like a painted statue.  
  
"Ya naa lle (Who are you)?" the man demanded.  
  
Lissa continued to stare at him, clueless as to what he had just said in some language she hadn't the faintest idea existed. Swallowing hard and wishing to be waking up again with a fresh start and no man, gorgeous as he was, on her couch.  
  
"Ya naa lle?" he repeated.  
  
Letting out the breath she hadn't, quite frankly, known she'd been holding, she said, "If you spoke English, I might be able to answer your question," emphasizing on the word 'English.'  
  
The man looked at her a moment, strangely, then nodded. "Who are you?" he asked in English, finally.  
  
"Well, it seems I'm not going to answer your question yet," Lissa said, backing up slowly, "because this is my house and I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in it."  
  
The man sighed and nodded again. "I am Delemir of Lothlórien, a Marchwarden under the Lady Galadriel's order," he said, standing suddenly and bowing. "I do not quite know as to why I am in your house, my lady."  
  
For some strange reason, those names and places were familiar to Lissa. She couldn't exactly say why, but they were. She searched her mind for some reason as to why she thought she should remember what they meant. She felt like someone had told her a joke and she was missing the punchline while everyone else was laughing.  
  
Taking her glasses off and sticking them through her hair on top of her head, she said, "Well, Delemir.I haven't the faintest idea as to why you're here either, but I'd really appreciate it if you weren't here at all," slowly as she reached around on the table behind her for something she could use as a weapon. Her hands felt something long and hard, so she grabbed it desperately and held it tight behind her back.  
  
Oh, he didn't want to admit he had no other place to go and that he didn't know what was going on. He hated the feeling of helplessness, which was exactly what he was feeling right then. So, mongering up all the pride he had and swallowing every bit of it, he said:  
  
"I have no other place to say, lady. I do know why I am here or how I came to be here, but I would be in your debt greatly if you allowed me to stay here until I found the answers."  
  
She'd always been too soft for her own good. Lissa had hardly been able to block her ex-boyfriend on the Internet, but had finally when she came to her senses. Of course, that was ages ago, it seemed. At least ten years ago. She felt old now. But, bringing herself back to the point, she tried to decide what she would do.  
  
"Let me think here, first, okay buddy?" she asked, dropping whatever item she had onto the floor with a loud clatter to see it was a thick drawing pencil her friend had left here the other day. She flopped down onto the floor and held her head in her hands, trying to think the pros and cons over of this.  
  
Well, she hadn't the faintest idea about anything about this man and he was asking her if he could stay with her until he figured out what the heck he was doing in her living room. Couldn't he think it out on the streets somewhere? Couldn't he just leave her alone so she could pretend it never happened? She had no idea if this guy was on America's Most Wanted or had escaped from a mental health facility a few miles off and broken into her house to crash. She hadn't the faintest idea if this was a prank from one of her friends, or if she was still dreaming in a dream that wouldn't end.  
  
"Fine," she said at length. "I don't know why I'm doing this, or why I haven't called the cops yet-"  
  
"Cops? What are cops?" he asked, starting out in his native tongue, but stopping when he remembered there was no word for 'cops' in his language, and that this girl couldn't understand him.  
  
"Cops, you know, police men? Law enforcement? People who arrest the bad guys when they get caught?" Lissa encouraged, standing up finally, deciding if he tried anything weird, she'd just stab him with a pencil and kill him with lead poisoning.  
  
When he shook his head, Lissa sighed and continued ranting. "Anyway, I don't know why I don't call Officer Brennon down here and say 'Here, this looney toon escaped from a cartoon bin and showed up in my living room.' That'd be the most logical thing to do, seeing as I haven't the faintest idea who you are, or why you're in my living room."  
  
"Are you finished?" Delemir asked dryly.  
  
"What?" Lissa looked up at him, irritated to find him looking bored. "Oh, yeah. More than."  
  
"Good. I would like some breakfast," he said.  
  
"Excuse me?" Lissa said, standing up straighter. "You're demanding breakfast of me? In my own house? I don't think so. If you want something, you get it yourself. Now let me lay some ground rules here, okay buddy?"  
  
He nodded, watching the apple in her hand.  
  
"One, you stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours while you try to figure out why the heck you're here. Two, hands off. No touching, and that goes for both of us," she murmured to herself. "You invade my personal space, I have a right to knee you where it counts for men, okay?" He nodded absently again. "Three."  
  
And her words became nothing but noises after that. He remembered something. He remembered the searing pain from something, and then the bitter bite of cold as it had run through his body. He remembered the pain of metal entering his flesh and leaving. The cold gleam in the eyes of the man that held the blade. He remembered drifting into sleep with strange dreams and waking up here, seeing a skinny woman with an apple in one hand, and a strange little box in the other. She'd been standing ramrod straight, so her long, wet, curly hair fell over her shoulders without being moved.  
  
"Hello? Are you listening to me?" the girl's voice broke through his thoughts. "You're kind of in my way to work, so if you wouldn't mind moving please?"  
  
Delemir snapped back to reality and nodded obligingly, moving from her way. He watched her disappear behind a clutter of paper and a strange gray machine. It was small as she picked it up. He watched her lay down on the couch and set the thing on her lap. It made a strange whirring noise and beeped when she lifted a top part of it. Wondering what it was, he reached a finger out to it. Lissa slapped his hand away automatically.  
  
"Hands off applied to, not only me, but my stuff as well," Lissa said.  
  
"What is your name?" Delemir asked, ignoring her comment.  
  
"Melissa, but call me Lissa," she said shortly, moving a little green eraser like thing in the middle of the keyboard on her laptop. She opened up her word processor and began vigorously typing in one of her short stories.  
  
"Well, Lady Lissa-"  
  
"What a minute!" she interrupted. "It's either plain Lissa or you don't talk to me at all."  
  
"Very well." He paused, then spoke again. "Lady, I would be much more conversational if I had something to eat, but as I do not know where any of your food is, I would be much obliged if you would show me."  
  
Lissa looked up at Delemir and sighed. "You have to be the most annoying dream I have ever had before," she said, shaking her head. "Ever." She shook her head and tossed her apple to the blonde man.  
  
"I beg to differ, lady, but I am most certainly not a dream." Delemir caught the apple, watching her intently. "I am as real as you are, if you are not a dream as well."  
  
"Wait, here," Lissa said, pushing her laptop off of her legs onto the coffee table. "I am not a dream either, so." She stood slowly and took wary steps towards him. When she was in front of him she lifted her hand in the air and touched his face.  
  
"Oh my, you're real!" She jumped back and shrieked slightly.  
  
"Of course I am." Delemir lifted his own hand and tangled it in her hair gently. "And so are you."  
  
"Then you're not a-a dream?" Lissa's eyes fluttered into the back of her head and shut. She collapsed forward into Delemir's arms. Delemir instinctively caught her and sighed. Pushing her up right again, he lay her down on the couch and watched her.  
  
She had long hair that reached the crook of her elbows when she was standing, but now it was over her face, mussed and wet. Her slightly tan complexion was dimmed in the poor light of the room. Her small build looked as though he could fit his hands around her waist easily, and still overlap. Long, endless legs stretched to the end of the couch, and her arms were folded on her stomach.  
  
Leaning back, Delemir thought of why he was here. Why had he been put here? How had he gotten here? It seemed impractical that he was still dreaming, he thought. It wasn't just impractical, it was impossible. He would have woken up a long time ago, he mused.  
  
Delemir was pulled from his thoughts when a shrill ringing noise sounded, causing him to jolt. He looked at Lissa, whose eyes were now open, wide. She reached behind her and grabbed a small, white object. She pressed a button on it and spoke into it.  
  
"Hello?" she said. She made other slight noises and laughed warily. She stood, casting a weird glance at Delemir, and disappeared into a backroom.  
  
"I know, Emily, it's strange. He just all of a sudden was in my living room. And the freakish thing is that I had a dream with this guy in it." She paused. "What? Yes, yes, I heard you, and no, I'm not going to answer your question." She paused again. "Well, if you want to see him so bad, you come over and see him. Besides, I don't exactly want to zone out with this guy here." She, yet again, paused for about two seconds. "Okay, bye." There was a quiet beeping noise and Lissa emerged back into the living room.  
  
"What is that thing?" Delemir asked, glancing at the object.  
  
"Oh, this?" Lissa held it up. "It's a phone. You can talk to people through it. Don't you know what a telephone is, buddy?"  
  
Delemir shook his head. "No, I have never seen one of those objects in my life, which has been a very long time," he said, standing from the chair he sat in.  
  
Lissa looked him over. "Mmm, you don't look that old. I'd say you're about twenty-five," she said, sitting back down on her couch and picking up the strange box with pictures on it.  
  
"More along the lines of twenty-five hundred," Delemir muttered.  
  
"What? First you say that I'm a dream when I'm very much real, then you don't know what a phone is, and then you say you're older than two millenniums. You have to be on something strong, then," Lissa said, grinning. "It's the year 2003, almost 2004. There was about...Hmm, maybe about 2000 years before we started counting up, but I'm not too sure. Oh, there's Emily."  
  
Lissa stood at the bell-like sound and walked into another room that he thought of to be the entrance hall. She unlocked about three locks then opened the door. A brown haired woman, a little shorter than Lissa, walked in. Delemir guessed this was the 'Emily' Lissa had spoken to over that nuisance of a telephone. The two stood talking over this and that, occasionally pointing in Delemir's direction.  
  
"Liar," Emily said.  
  
"Absolutely not." Lissa held her hands up, palms out.  
  
"So he just popped up in your living room?"  
  
"Yep. Strangest morning and dream I've ever had."  
  
"Hey! Are you calling me a dream?"  
  
"No. I think I woke up when you called and he was still there. I just took in that I wasn't really dreaming when I woke up earlier because I didn't fall asleep on my couch last night," Lissa said, linking arms with Emily and walking into the living room.  
  
"Delemir, Emily. Emily, Delemir," Lissa said, gesturing between them both.  
  
"Uh, Mel, come here for a moment." Emily pulled Melissa out into a different room and Delemir could hear their hushed voices and hissing whispers. He grinned, wryly amused.  
  
"What?" he heard Lissa say.  
  
"Do you remember when we were both teenagers? You were about thirteen, I was seventeen?"  
  
"Hardly. What about it?" Lissa asked dryly.  
  
"Well, we had pretense Elves that we would role play with on the Internet. Remember that?"  
  
"Vaguely, though I'm making an effort. What's your point?"  
  
"Dude, you had an Elf named Delemir who, I distinctly remember because you had a picture of both of your Elves on MSN for a long time, looked like that." Delemir saw who he guessed was Emily's hand pointing in his direction.  
  
There was silence for about twenty seconds before someone let out a little squeak of laughter that formed into long, bubbly laughter. "Okay, I am dreaming!" he heard Lissa gasp, between breaths of air.  
  
Emily sighed loudly and a quiet slapping noise was heard. She and Lissa walked back into the room, Lissa holding the back of her head.  
  
"Fine. But when I go to sleep tonight, then wake up in the morning and Delemir isn't here, then I'm going to call you up and say I had the most real dream I've ever had in my life," Lissa said, sitting on a chair.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And that was that. It was about ten hours later when Lissa was closing the door in her foyer. Emily was on her way home, Delemir was sitting in the living room, looking amused, and Lissa had a splitting headache. She fell down onto her couch and pulled a light pillow over her face.  
  
"Lady, you have very amusing friends," Delemir said.  
  
"Shut up and get me a Tylenol," Lissa replied.  
  
"I would if I knew what a Tylenol was and where they were located. Are you all right, my lady?"  
  
"Great, never better."  
  
"You just have not eaten much today. I believe I only saw you eat about half of the plate you fixed for your dinner when Emily was here." Delemir stood. "Are you well?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, Delemir. I just don't eat much, that's all." Lissa sat up and grabbed her head. "Delemir, I think I've finally accepted you're not a dream. If this is a dream it's the most real dream I've ever had."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"I've never had a headache in a dream. Much less eaten spaghetti in a dream as well," she added. She smirked and walked over to her liquor cabinet and poured herself a scotch and water. She downed it quickly and coughed slightly at the burning sensation down her throat. "Or felt the good feeling of a drink going down my esophagus."  
  
Delemir watched her intently and sighed. "I have decided you are not a dream as well. I am trying to think of why I am here, as well, though I have accepted the fact I am here for a reason that is relevant."  
  
"Good. Now." Lissa suddenly reached up to her head and swayed slightly.  
  
"Are you all right?" Delemir asked, walking over to her, placing his hand on her elbow and back. "Lady?"  
  
Lissa waited another beat before saying, "I'm fine." She stood up straighter and shrugged Delemir's grasp off of her. "Really. I just need to go to my room." She sighed, turned, then turned back around. "Let me take you to the guestroom, okay?"  
  
"All right," Delemir answered, watching her turn and walk past him into the foyer. She walked up some stairs and, following slowly, Delemir followed her with his eyes as well as she turned to her right and then to her left into a room.  
  
"Are you coming?" she called from inside it as Delemir was up onto the hallway she had turned off of into the guest bedroom. She poked her head out and looked around, stopping when she looked at him. "Oh, good. Come on." She gestured him into the room and then around the room itself.  
  
"This is a large room," Delemir said quietly.  
  
"Meh, my room is bigger, thank God. But if you need anything, the bathroom is just down the hall-all the way-and to your.left. Then, I'm downstairs, and that room I kept disappearing into earlier? Remember that one? That's my room. So, if you absolutely need anything, come bother me and hope I don't kill you," she said, grinning wryly.  
  
"All right." He walked over to the bed and the nightstand. He looked at a small, black object with red numbers on it. Reaching out his hand and touching a button, loud, angry sounding music blared out. He pressed his hands over his ears as Lissa ran over and turned it off.  
  
"Sorry. The, ah, last time I was in here, I was in one of those moods where you hate anything and everything. Ever have one of those moods?" Delemir shook his head. "No? Never? You're strange." She smiled at him and turned down the sheets of the bed with expertise and skill, as if she were someone who had once done that a lot. There was an edge in her movements that held a small amount of disdain and distaste towards the skill she had.  
  
"You are strange as well, Lady. I have yet to figure you out," Delemir replied, laying a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Lissa glanced warily at the touched and shrugged it off. "Yeah, same here." Standing up straighter, she smiled. "Well, good night, Del. I'll see you in the morning." She turned to leave, then stopped about halfway to the door. "What time do you wake up?"  
  
"With the sun," Delemir answered, causing her to wince. "What is it?"  
  
"Sleep in. I wake up around ten, so set your internal clock to that, okie?" Lissa asked.  
  
"I will try." He offered her a smile, which she instinctively returned.  
  
"Good night, Delemir."  
  
"Good night, Melissa."  
  
She stopped her pace and shook her head, still smiling. As she was going down the stairs, she stopped and grabbed her knee. Hissing out a breath, she flexed the joint and continued walking with a limp. Unbeknownst to her, Delemir had seen her and wondered what the cause of that was. When Lissa reached her room, she kicked her radio on and began to change into her flannel night set. Yawning as she did so, she walked into her bathroom and brushed her teeth routinely. Turning the bathroom light and the radio off, she walked to her bed and fell onto it.  
  
"Thank you, God, for this great bed," she muttered before drifting off into a very relaxed state we know as sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hoo-ah! Extra disclaimer: I don't own America's Most Wanted or the "cartoon bit" as Meliss so colorfully put it. Whoa, it's strange writing your own name in a story.....or nickname. But I DO, however, OWN the dark, brooding mood I-she, lol, was describing earlier with the radio. :D And I own the clock radio Del played with *slaps her Elf's hands away from the keys* it's just not in the correct room. ;) Anyhow, I'll shut up so you can review (like a responsible reader :D) and get on to reading other stories. Oh, before I do forget, I.Delemir really is an Elf I use to RP on MSN messenger with Emily. You can see his picture on my MSN icon and at an MSN group called Mr. Mysterious Elf. He's in the Elf claimer's album, I think. Anyway, talk to y'all later!  
  
Blessed be,  
  
Lissa 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
All was quiet and dim. All was still and unmoving. If a pin had dropped then, it would have sounded like thunder crashing and cracking outside and an avalanche of snow on the Swiss Alps. But nothing made a noise, or at least until-  
  
"Holy crap! What the bloody heck is going on?" Lissa shrieked, suddenly jolting upright in her bed as loud rock music blared in her kitchen towards her room. Upon remember her "guest," she muttered an oath quietly. "Delemir!"  
  
He appeared in her room in an instant, bowing slowly. "Yes, my lady?" he asked, at her side now. He was holding his ears as he spoke, talking in loud pitch.  
  
"What the heck did you do?" she demanded, covering her own ears as well.  
  
"I do not know, quiet frankly. I apologize greatly for it, though." Delemir cringed and winced at the loud music as a screaming guitar wailed like a banshee. Lissa sighed, stood and shivered, unaware of the fact she was only in a yellowish-orange softball shirt with "Bad Boys" on the left breast of it. Delemir averted his gaze to toward the floor as Lissa walked quickly into the kitchen, anger in her military-like gait. He followed after her slowly, then quickly after the music was turned off. When he reached the kitchen, Lissa was tugging on a pair of pants. She was glaring angrily at him.  
  
"It's seven in the freaking morning, Delemir! How could you even think about waking me up?!" She looked about ready to kill him at that precise moment in time.  
  
"I did not mean to, Lady. I apologize deeply, though." He looked down at the floor as she tugged her jeans back up her waist when they slipped down slightly. She reached down in the clothes pile again for something. He watched her until she stood with a leather belt in her hand.  
  
She folded it in half and snapped it, slowly walking closer to him. "Go away. Get out of my kitchen, Del." Lissa's voice was incredibly and painfully cool as she threaded the belt through the loops of her pants. Delemir quickly retreated, unaware of the victorious smirk on Lissa's face. "This is the best I've ever felt at seven o'clock," Lissa murmured to herself. Moving to the refrigerator, she pulled out the egg carton and began the making of poached eggs.  
  
Delemir, meanwhile, was sitting in the living room, puzzled at the cheerful, or wryly delightful, humming from the kitchen. He thought he recognized the song, but shrugged it off when he smelled food, to his utter delight, then followed it to the kitchen. There, he saw Lissa moving about in front of a large, square thing. Steam was rising up from a silver pot. He watched Lissa dip a spoon in the pot and on the spoon was a white, squishy- and oval-looking substance. She placed it on a plate and reached backward to place it on a counter. Delemir found himself mesmerized by her graceful, dancer-like movements.  
  
"Hope you like eggs, Delemir!" Lissa called over her shoulder. She was unaware of his presence slowly, silently, creeping up behind her. She reached backward again and set another plate on the counter. As she turned, she yelped, nearly bumping into Delemir.  
  
He placed his hands at her arms in an attempt to calm her. This effort being blown from the water on both of their accounts and the onslaught of emotions and feelings, Delemir retreated to the other side of the small kitchen.  
  
"I do," he murmured, sitting.  
  
"Excuse me?" Lissa said, sitting as well and passing a plate over the counter to him.  
  
"I do like eggs," he repeated, slightly louder.  
  
"Oh." Suddenly smirking, Lissa added, "You remind me of a book I read once upon a time."  
  
"What book is that?" Delemir asked, taking a bite of his breakfast.  
  
"'Green Eggs and Ham' by Dr. Seuss. The guy had problems-serious ones."  
  
Delemir looked up at her and sighed. "I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about," he said quietly.  
  
Lissa choked slightly on her food. "What? Never heard of Dr. Seuss? Where've you been all your life, in a hole?"  
  
"I have been, as for yesterday and today's accounts, in Middle-Earth all my life."  
  
Then it clicked in Lissa's mind. He really was Delemir of Lothlórien. He really was 2,500 years old. He really was-God help her-an Elf.  
  
"Oh, my Lord," Lissa said, dropping her fork on her plate again.  
  
Slowly, the young brunette woman stood. Walking around the counter carefully, using the edge of it for support, she stepped in front of Delemir. She slowly lifted her hand to his face, pushed his hair behind his ear and saw a soft point on the tip of his ear. She gently touched it, causing Delemir's eyes to close tightly and his jaw to set together. Unbeknownst to Lissa, a bead of sweat formed on Delemir's temple and slipped down his cheek. Carefully, slowly, he lifted his hand to Lissa's wrist, felt her pulse thundering under her skin.  
  
"Melissa," he managed to say.  
  
"Huh?" Lissa's eyes cleared of everything previously there. For the first time since she'd met him, known him, she saw distress and anxiety on his features. For the first time, heard how his voice had trembled when he had spoken her name. For the first time, felt the hand that was his firm on her wrist. For the first time, wanted to kiss him.  
  
Immediately removing her hand from his ear, Lissa took three hasty steps backwards and to her seat. She sat, not looking up at Delemir, and polished off her breakfast. When she had finished, she tossed her plate in the sink and left the room quickly. She started off toward her bedroom when she felt Delemir grab her arm, spinning her around.  
  
"Let go of me," she said coolly.  
  
Once having something to say, Delemir only stared at Lissa, speechless. His jaw dropped slightly, his eyes widened only a little bit at the look this girl was giving him. It was a look that spoke of so many emotions, good and bad. Some only brand new, some ages and years old. Some fathomable and some unfathomable. Whichever they were, they had Delemir standing there, flustered, and without a means to keep his mouth closed and keeping the stutters from emitting out of his mouth.  
  
"What?" That normally happy, perky voice was now cold and ruthless as it spoke to him from a young woman with features hard as rock and stone.  
  
"Nothing," Delemir finally said, letting go of her arm and turning.  
  
"Fine!" Lissa said, turning and walking off towards her room again.  
  
"You had no right!" Delemir finally shouted, getting the words he wished out.  
  
"Excuse me? I had no right for what?" Lissa demanded, stopping in her tracks and whirling around.  
  
"To-To do what you did!"  
  
"And just what did I do that was so terrible I had no right to do?"  
  
Unable to find his words again, Delemir pointed his hand to his ear. "That!"  
  
"Oh, this?" Coming up to him again, she placed her hand on the tip of his ear and watched him shudder. Removing her hand again, she asked, "I had no right to do that?"  
  
"No, on both accounts, my lady," he said frigidly, grabbing her wrist. "You have a weakness. You have found mine and I will find yours."  
  
"I have no weakness," Lissa hissed, straining against his grasp to no avail. "Let go, Delemir. Let go and go away."  
  
Letting go, as she said, Delemir strode off to some part of the house while Lissa stalked to her room, shut and slammed the door. She threw herself on the bed and reached for her phone then dialed the, oh, so familiar number to call Emily. Waiting as it rang three times and the machine picked up, she yelled loudly and incoherently before it recorded.  
  
"Pick up if you're there, Emily. Pick up." Waiting a moment before a click came on the line and the machine was turned off, she heard Emily's grumbling greeting of being woken up too early fade to a short silence before asking:  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"It's real. It's all real. Delemir's real, it isn't a dream, he's really an Elf from Lothlórien and somehow or other he was sent over here to my house when I didn't need him here! Just when my life was going fine, he pops up and ruins it like a-"  
  
"Meliss, calm down. Take a deep breath," Emily said calmly.  
  
"If I do, I'm sure to hyperventilate. This morning, it all finally clicked. We were discussing a book by Dr. Seuss-"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
" 'Green Eggs and'-Don't change the subject. We were discussing it when he said he'd been in Lothlórien all of his life. I got up and touched his ear to make sure that he was an Elf and not some-"  
  
"You touched his ear? Dude, that's like, treason against an Elf and their laws!" Emily said ironically into the phone.  
  
"I know. Would you just be quiet for a moment? Thank you. Well, we finished breakfast and I was on my way to my room to shower when he comes up behind me and turns me around and just stares. He finally shouts that I had to right and it goes on with the fact with the ear thing." Taking a long breath, Lissa hissed it out.  
  
"Interesting morning," Emily said drowsily. She yawned slightly, then added, "Want me to come over?"  
  
"No. You're too tired to drive. If he tries anything weird, I'll just bother one of my neighbors."  
  
"Weird? Why? Why would an Elf do something weird if they haven't been corrupted?"  
  
Lissa waited a few beats before saying, "He said I'd discovered his weakness and that he'd discover mine. He sounded determined when he said it, and there's no telling what an Elf will do when bent on something like that."  
  
"Well, take away his weapons and lock your door," Emily suggested.  
  
"I've done both. His weapons are in my closet, and I bet you half of my savings that he's right outside my door listening," Lissa said dryly.  
  
Indeed, Delemir was just outside her door, but not listening. He was thinking about what to do. Should he apologize? Should he kick down her door and do something drastic? Should he tell himself he thinks too much and to go away someplace else? Like his room, for instance. No, Delemir of Lothlórien was much to mad for that now. He would glare at the door and throw knives, mentally, at it until Lissa came out and aim one at her head.  
  
Telling himself that the thought wasn't too nice, he also reminded himself that she hadn't been too nice that morning. Sneering, he sat in the living room again and sifted through papers and correspondence of hers.  
  
"Interesting," he mumbled to himself, or, "Crude." Occasionally, he'd quickly shoved a paper back into a pile at it's...most unusual contents. Wondering how a woman could stand to write morbid death scenes or other things of that sort, some deeper and more complex than the others, he heard a door open. It wasn't near Lissa's room, but in the entrance hall. Automatically, he reached for his bow and remembered Lissa had taken it from him, he crouched in a position that said he was ready to attack.  
  
A tall, curvy figure shadowed in the entrance hall, then in the doorway to the living room, and finally in front of Delemir. She was unaware of his presence, he mused. Her copper-ish hair fell over her eyes in a way that would tease most men, and curled around her shoulders. Her complexion was light, and, although her face was slightly long, it was dimmed in the poor lighting of the room. The woman was dressed in a jean outfit, with a purple shirt under the jacket. A black purse hung limply at her arm and swung as she stopped in the middle of the room.  
  
"Melissa!" she called. "Lissa, where are you?" She took another step forward, then stopped, finding herself impaired as a strong, well-muscled arm held her wrists together behind her. She screeched and yelled Lissa's name, unaware of Delemir.  
  
"Mischelle?" Lissa emerged from her room and gasped. "Delemir, let her go!" She ran forward and glared at him. Sighing, she watched Mischelle's features turn from startled to shocked.  
  
"Melissa, are you-?" She broke off, pointing at Delemir.  
  
"No. Come, I'll tell you about this nuisance that showed up in my living room yesterday morning," Lissa said, hooking arms with the woman called "Mischelle" and walked with her to her room.  
  
"Lissa, please explain WHY you have a tall, blonde-God help us both- gorgeous man in your living room," Mischelle demanded as Lissa quietly shut and locked her door. She didn't answer, but merely turned and sank down the door, leaning her back against it. Mischelle was finally noticing the redness in Lissa's eyes and face, the tear strains on her cheeks, the quiet hiccuping that followed tears.  
  
"Have you been crying?" Mischelle knew the answer was yes, and also knew Lissa would deny is. Instead of saying anything, Lissa leaned her head forward slightly and began to mutter incoherently of what Mischelle gathered were strings of oaths. Restraining the slight urge to laugh, Mischelle sat down in front of Lissa before she had the chance to kick the vacuum cleaner piece-with her bare foot.  
  
"Please, don't break your foot. I walked here and I don't know how to drive that thing you call a car in your parking place."  
  
"Dang it, Mischelle!" Lissa yelled. "Shut up for a moment! I need to think!"  
  
For about five minutes, they sat in silence. Neither dared to speak, one afraid of what she might say, and the other afraid of what would be said to her.  
  
"I should go. I came at a bad time," Mischelle said finally. Lissa had, previously, moved to her computer and was playing solitaire presently. She made a noncommittal noise and blinked her eyes slightly. And then Mischelle was gone. She didn't see Delemir on her way out, who was, in fact, in his room.  
  
Lissa, realizing she was alone finally, moved to her bed, glanced at her clock and saw it was a little after 11 a.m. then fell asleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hours later, after dusk, Delemir sauntered down the stairs slowly and stood by Lissa's door. He heard no noise from inside and sighed inwardly to himself. He opened the door, conveniently left unlocked by the other brunette woman, and slipped inside. He saw Lissa asleep, curled against a pillow with a thin blanket over her. Her hair was in a tangle over her face so her features were hidden. He had no idea if she had fallen asleep crying, angry, or hurt now. He had to find out.  
  
Slowly approaching her, he held out his hand and brushed the locks of hair from her face. He half expected her to wake up then and there and yell at him, but she didn't.  
  
"Quel kaima, aier (Sleep well, little one)," he murmured to her, turning back around to leave.  
  
When he was just at the door, he heard Lissa say, "Delemir." Her voice was soft, yet heavy from and with sleep.  
  
Stopping, he turned once again and stood still. Lissa sat up and brought her knees to her breast gently, resting her chin on her folded hands.  
  
Suddenly, a white and tan streak of fur darted across the room from the door behind Delemir and onto Lissa's bed. It nestled itself around her waist and made a purring noise. Lissa sighed and reached backward, picking up the animal and petting it gently. She murmured phrases to it softly.  
  
"I apologize," Delemir said finally, dropping his guard.  
  
"What?" Lissa looked up from rubbing her cheek against the cat's face and gazed at Delemir with her drooping eyes. Her skin looked soft and warm from her sleep.  
  
"About earlier, and for waking you," he explained, holding his ground.  
  
"Oh." Lissa didn't want to think about that now. She had her cat. She was happy. Why did he have to go and ruin it? She scratched the cat's ears and smiled when it meowed softly.  
  
Finally unable to keep himself any longer, Delemir stepped forward and sat on the edge of Lissa's bed. He reached out his hand to the cat and let it smell him. It rubbed its head against his hand and allowed him to pet it.  
  
"What is your cat's name?" he asked.  
  
"Bennett."  
  
"Why not something more fanciful like Sunshine or Moonglow?"  
  
Lissa glared at him and sighed. "Maybe in Middle-Earth, they call animals things like that, and some people here as well, but I named him Bennett because is Bennett the first name of one of my favorite characters in a series of books done by a specific author I read a lot," she explained, pointing to a bookcase filled with hundreds of books by a computer.  
  
"It looks as thought you read many books, Lady."  
  
Lissa sighed audibly and set the cat at her side. "Yeah, I sure do," she murmured, leaning backwards only to have the cat crawl onto her stomach and rest his ear over her heart. "And Bennett sure does fit his character. Falls in love with every woman he meets, human or cat. It's always vice versa as well."  
  
"I am afraid I do not understand." Delemir stood and leaned against her computer desk.  
  
"In the stories, Bennett was a ladies' man until he married Hannah, of which I'm planning on buying a cat pretty soon named Hannah. But anyway, every woman falls in love with Bennett, it seems."  
  
"Your pet or the character in the story?"  
  
"Both." Lissa smirked and pet the cat's head gently. "And he, being my cat, falls in love with every woman that enters my domain."  
  
The two were silent for a while, the only noises being the cat purring, the computer whirring, and their steady breathing. Lissa was feeling the same discomfort she always did when alone with someone of the opposite sex. Delemir was taking everything in, trying to digest the fact "ladies' man." Soon enough, though, Bennett stood, did a little dance on Lissa's tummy, and meowed loudly, nearly screeching.  
  
"He wants food," Lissa murmured, sitting up and sighing. She lifted herself off of her bed and began to walk towards the kitchen when Delemir stopped her.  
  
"Friends?" he asked, offering his hand to her.  
  
Lissa hesitated, then replied, "Friends." Delemir smiled and brought her hands to his lips. Lissa swallowed uncomfortably when his lips brushed over her knuckles and caused an explosion of emotions and feelings in her, and fireworks outside her window.  
  
"Holy heck," she murmured, pulling her hand from Delemir's grasp and walking to the large, cathedral window beside her bed. "What, ah, great timing." She meant it. She didn't want to dwell on the thoughts and feelings Delemir had awakened inside her.  
  
"Yes. Marvelous timing," he agreed, nevertheless.  
  
Any conversation that may have been made was destroyed when a loud wail sounded from the doorjamb. Lissa looked over, relieved, and saw that Bennett was reaching all of five octaves with his ear-piercing screech.  
  
"Just think, a female Siamese can do worse that this!" she cried over Bennett's yowl. She scooped the cat up, immediately silencing it, and walked into the kitchen. She dropped Bennett onto the floor, only to hear him wail again as she poured cat food into his bowl.  
  
"Okay, okay, Your Catness," she joked, putting his food away. "Your dinner is served."  
  
"'Catness?'" Delemir questioned as Lissa walked away from His Royal Catness, Prince Bennett de Crystal City House Financed by Lissa.  
  
"Yes, something he and I made up when we were reading a book together a few weeks ago. We both had a fit of laughter," Lissa said.  
  
"He laughed? Bennett laughed?" Delemir asked skeptically.  
  
"In a sense. Cats do have a sense of humor too, you know. It's not just us."  
  
"Ik, ik, ik," was the reply from the cat in the corner.  
  
"As you say, Lady," Delemir murmured, lifting a hand to toy with the ends of Lissa's hair. "Since His Catness has food, may we eat as well?"  
  
"Men have only so many things on their mind, and food is one of them," Lissa murmured, brushing Delemir's hand away discretely and opening her refrigerator to browse through leftovers. "Let's see, we have leftover pizza, spaghetti, something that I haven't the faintest idea of what it is, and...oh, would you look at that?"  
  
"What?" Delemir leaned over her shoulder and looked at a small container with some type of substance in it.  
  
"I still have raviolis left over from two weeks ago. Let me just-" As she was turning around, Lissa came face to face with Delemir. She tried to step backwards, but the refrigerator door impaired that ability. She tried to step to her left to get away that way, but Bennett wound himself cleverly around her ankles to where the container of food fell onto the floor, and Lissa fell forward into Delemir's arms.  
  
"Sorry," she murmured, trying to stand straight up again, but found that was hindered as well when she felt his strong arms snake around her waist. Looking up into his face, she saw his eyes, deep and blue, staring into her amber flecked brown ones. She felt herself lost in his eyes, in his gaze, in him.  
  
As his face neared hers, she felt there was no way to stop what was going to happen next. She prepared herself for it, for the emotions that always followed after it, or so she read in books, but it never came. Opening the eyes she had shut moment before, she let out the breath that she had been holding unconsciously to see Delemir a mere breath away. Should either of them make the wrong movement, his mouth would be on hers, intentional or unintentional.  
  
"Are you going to answer that?" he asked her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The phone. I would, but it seems that your stance is depending on me," Delemir answered, pushing her back to her feet again.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Sure," Lissa murmured and turned to look at a wall phone. "Hello, Pizza Hut." As she spoke, she added a thick brogue to her voice and made a loud smacking noise in her mouth. "Yeah. No, I ain't made any deliveries to your place in a long time, lady." She laughed, then spoke regularly after a moment. "Yes, ma'am. Yeah, everything is-Tonight? Uh, Mom, tonight isn't great. The, ah, the house is a mess, and-Why?"  
  
Delemir looked behind him and saw a spotless dining room, then remembered that the living room was hardly something to laugh at with its neatness. He heard Lissa sigh loudly.  
  
"Mom. Not tonight. It isn't good for me here. I just had someone over a while ago, and I'm not quite fit for company again in one day," Lissa continued. "Rain check? Wait, no, don't put Dad on the-" Sighing loudly again, she leaned against the window behind her and waited a minute.  
  
Delemir zoned out from her conversation with her father as he watched the cat watching him. He was met by big brown eyes, much like Lissa's with the amber in them, and felt as though his entire soul was being searched by this small creature.  
  
"I like you," the cat said in his mind. "Take care of my woman now, okay?"  
  
Delemir nodded, smiling. "I am glad you consider her your woman, for she will never be mine," Delemir mumbled as he leaned down to pet the cat.  
  
"What do you mean, she'll never be your woman?" Bennett demanded, rubbing his head against Delemir's chest. "You've got her name written all over your heart."  
  
"I do not," Delemir protested.  
  
"Oh, then only on your mind?" Bennett made a sound quite like snickering and pawed his way up to Delemir's ear, biting it softly in a manner of reprimand. "Stop following you mind and follow your heart." The cat stood on all fours and walked over to Lissa to tangle around her legs as she stood, watching the two in question.  
  
"Were you talking to the cat?" Lissa questioned, picking up the raviolis and kicking the fridge door shut.  
  
"Yes." About what, he wouldn't tell her.  
  
"Hmm. I thought I was the only person who actually talked to her pets," she murmured, walking to the garbage can and throwing the container out since it reeked of its former occupant.  
  
"Nay, lady. Many Elves in Middle-Earth speak with the animals and the trees."  
  
"Oh, yes, I remember now. Emily pointed that out in a story she wrote once upon a time when I was still insane." Laughing at the memory, Lissa opened a cupboard up and looked around inside. She pulled out a box labeled "Macaroni and Cheese" and tossed it on the counter, then picked it up again and put it back in the cupboard.  
  
"How about I just fix sandwiches. Suddenly, Mac and Cheese seems a bit too hard to make," she laughed, moving toward another cupboard.  
  
And they had sandwiches for dinner. Spaghetti sandwiches, one might add with amusement. Delemir had been puzzled at the idea of eating their previous dinner between bread for another dinner, but Lissa had assured him it was perfectly fine and that everyone did that occasionally.  
  
And that was about how they spent the rest of the week. Delemir would wake Lissa up around eight or nine, be scolded for waking her up so early. Lissa would fix them breakfast then go to work on her stories, leaving Delemir to read and watch the thing called a TV and obtain skills for that present day in time so he could help her. He'd managed cleaning the house whilst it was a mess usually. Why it was clean that one time her parents had called, he didn't know. Lissa had sworn little Elves had come in and cleaned it up in her sleep.  
  
"There are no 'little' Elves, my lady, and they do not clean for other people as you have me cleaning for you," Delemir had said.  
  
"No, maybe not, but that was in Middle-Earth. Now, you're in Crystal City, my territory," Lissa had replied, smirking.  
  
By the end of that week, they needed more cleaning supplies and food, but for some reason Lissa refused to let Delemir leave the house with her unless under certain conditions.  
  
Presently, Delemir was sighing as he inspected the phone, waiting for it to ring again so he could have a reason to shoot it with an arrow. But one problem was, he didn't have his bow or quiver. Lissa had taken them away from him a few days before ruthlessly, ignoring him as he said it was for protection. She'd also taken his daggers away, calling them oversized turkey knives.  
  
And at that moment in time, Lissa was listening to what she called music. She'd fussed, saying this "Louis Armstrong" and "Bing Crosby" WERE music. He could argue with her and mention some of the musicians in Lothlórien, but knew he'd lose to a woman in an argument. Especially this particular woman, for she seemed quite argumentative. She had a million and one arguments. Delemir wondered if she'd rehearsed them for they came naturally to her. Then he heard Lissa kicked her music off, probably literally.  
  
"Thank Eru," he murmured to himself. Then he heard this awfully loud thudding noise, and Bennett, who had been sitting on a chair, meowed loudly and ran off somewhere. Delemir watched Lissa walk by, awkwardly, then out of sight in her living room. The thudding stopped, and he heard her shriek loudly. Jumping up, concern tainted his features and he ran towards the entrance hall.  
  
"Are you all right?" Delemir asked, seeing Lissa in a heap on the floor. She was shaking, an odd look on her face. He thought she'd hurt herself terribly until she rolled on her back and laughter bubbled up. She lay there on the floor, laughing, until tears came and slipped down her cheeks.  
  
"I'm." She wiped at her flushed cheeks. "I'm fine, Delemir." She gasped and choked for air. "Just help me up." "Are you certain? Are you certain you are not hurt?" he asked as he helped her up.  
  
She stumbled slightly, then said, "Yeah, positive." She laughed a bit more then added, "Come on." Gesturing with her hand, she began going upstairs to the guestroom.  
  
"Where are we going?" Delemir asked uneasily, following her. He looked at her feet and saw that one boot was on her foot, and the other was slightly warped on her other, on and off at the same time. That solved as to why she was walking weird.  
  
"Well, we're getting you more clothes, we're getting more food and cleaning things, and then we're going to get your haircut-and mine. Then, I also have a few errands to run downtown," Lissa answered.  
  
"What?" Instinctively, Delemir brought his hand up to his blonde hair.  
  
Lissa looked back, saying, "Elf-man, you are not going to leave my house with the longest blonde hair I've ever seen on a man before." Stepping into the guestroom, Lissa made her way immediately to the walk in closet and stepped in. "Also, you're wearing very baggy women's clothing that look like men's. I'm getting this stuff out because I just thought of it. You're not leaving my house in baggy clothes that used to belong to the previous owner of this house."  
  
Delemir sighed and thought of a question. "Lady, may I ask you something?" he said, leaning on the doorjamb.  
  
"Sure, and Delemir. We've known each other for about a week now. Don't call me "Lady" anymore. It's 'Lissa.' Now, your question?" Straining as she pulled out a large garment bag, Lissa nearly came face to face with the Elf as she stood. Taking a wary step backwards, she rubbed her suddenly damps palms on her khaki Capris.  
  
"If you live alone normally, and, as you have told me many times before, never plan on marrying, why do you have such large living quarters?" he asked, reaching out to toy with the ends of Lissa's hair.  
  
Slightly uncomfortable, Lissa took another step backwards and said, "I never really wanted all of this space because." She couldn't think. She couldn't concentrate. He was doing this on purpose, she thought as his fingers skimmed across her cheek. "Because.I bought this placed because it was, ah, at a good, um, price and had.good living."  
  
And then she was lost as Delemir framed her face gently. What was he doing? Why was he doing this to her? Why was he making her feel like she never had before towards him, or anyone else before? He was unearthing feelings in her she thought never existed-would ever exist!  
  
"Delemir." Her voice caught in her throat as his face neared hers slowly. "Don't." She placed her hand on his chest, with much effort, and shook her head.  
  
Delemir sighed and let go of her face. She cleared her throat and continued to lug the bag into the room. She heaved it on the bed and unzipped it, yanking out a pair of jeans and a green polo shirt, then tossed them at him.  
  
"Here, change. I'm going to get a bottle of water," Lissa murmured, walking absently out of the room. She pressed her hand to her head as she walked down the stairs, through the house and to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator door, she stared in blankly, then took out a small bottle of water.  
  
Bennett meowed at her feet and rubbed against her ankles. He watched her open the bottle and take a sip. She swished it through her mouth, then nearly spit it out as her left knee buckled on her. She almost fell, would have if she hadn't grabbed the edge of the counter.  
  
She eased herself down onto the floor and, hissing in a breath, rubbed her knee and the crook of it. She sighed as the blinding pain she felt there slowly subsided. She leaned forward over her knee and let out her breath carefully.  
  
"Are you all right?" Delemir asked her from above her, his voice firm and full of concern, yet hidden among slight anger.  
  
"How long have you been standing there?" Lissa wanted to know, shooting up straight like a rocket. She stood quickly and painfully, but showed no signs of it.  
  
"Long enough. Answer my question, Lissa," he demanded, walking up to her and gripping her arms in his hands tightly.  
  
"I'm fine," Lissa murmured. "My tibia in my left leg is crooked and causes pain occasionally. I'm going to the doctor today to see if it's straightened any and to have it worked on a little. Happy, now that I've told you one of my, basically, deepest secrets I've carried since youth?"  
  
Delemir sighed and let go of her. She led the way to the front door and to her car. The next adventure would soon take place for these two people seeking a new life in a big world.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Heya all! Do you like the long chapters? I hope you do. ;) And I'll try to keep them long. Oh, and my Disclaimers are going to go at the bottom from now on, so don't fret when they're not at the top! (  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I do not own Lothlórien. I do not own Crystal City, Virginia. I do not own Capris though I own two pairs of them. I do not own the books with Bennett in them. ;) FF.net does not allow her stories (Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb) here. I do not own television since I hardly watch it. I do not own 'Green Eggs and Ham' by Dr. Seuss. I do not own anything by Louis Armstrong and/or Bing Crosby. I do not own any of the foods mentioned it here, though I eat them quite a lot.  
  
I DO, however, own the little Elves that clean the house. They've been neglecting my room, though. I own the sarcastic expressions used in here, if any. I own the loud yelling, and last, but not least, own the story itself! ( So I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter coming soon! Be responsible and review, lol, and check out some of the stories I read on my profile by my beta (Merenwen Luinwel) and definitely read the stories by Tainted Elf and Iarejedi. Their stories are GREAT! Anyway, I'll shut up. Talk to y'all later!  
  
Blessed be, Lissa 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
"Lissa, are you finished?" Delemir asked from the outside of a dressing room.  
  
"No!" she called back through the curtain, pulling a sweater over her head. "And if you ask again, I won't let you get that...thing you wanted."  
  
"What thing?"  
  
"That...belt looking thing. The utility belt!" she exclaimed, pulling her hair from the collar. "Ta-da!" She stepped from behind the curtain and posed.  
  
She looked exquisite, though Delemir wasn't about to admit that. With her hair draped over her shoulders and blending with a burgundy sweater, a pair of black jeans slimmed her already slim body. The collar of the sweater was rolled down slightly, exposing part of the ivory skin along the line of her neck. The sleeves were long and covered up most of her hands to where only the tips of her fingers showed. The knitted sweater clung provocatively to her and reached her lower waist. The jeans were a slightly faded black and were just at her hips. She'd called them "hip huggers," leaving Delemir a little more than unnerved at the phrase. The jeans were slightly tight as well, but not so much as to cause fifteen heads to turn if she walked in a place crowded with men and women in slinky little dresses.  
  
"Well? What do you think?" Lissa asked, turning a circle.  
  
Delemir nodded his silent approval, unable to say anything for a moment.  
  
"You're turn. You change into the outfit you picked out while I change back, okay-" Lissa's phrase was cut short as her watch beeped, signifying they had ten minutes until they had to leave the mall and go to Lissa's doctor appointment.  
  
"All right," Delemir said as Lissa turned her watch off and disappeared back behind the dressing curtain. He chose his own and sighed.  
  
Lissa, meanwhile, was humming a song to herself when she shivered and quickly pulled on her jacket. Folding the garments she was to purchase, she heard Delemir mutter something in a language she didn't understand and laughed at him.  
  
"Having troubles, Delemir?" she called to him as she stepped from behind her curtain.  
  
There was rustling again before Delemir said, "I seem to be experiencing difficulties," in a voice that was slightly muffled and strained.  
  
"How decent are you?" she asked.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" he returned.  
  
"How clothed are you? Do you have pants on, at least?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Lissa sighed, relieved, then slipped in, hoping he wasn't lying. Indeed, he wasn't. But his shirt was halfway on, halfway off, exposing a lithe and lean, well-muscled chest. It took a lot to keep her mouth closed and her wits in her head. His face was slightly distorted in frustration and strain; his hair was pushed back from his face and slightly mussed. His blue eyes were deep and filled with emotions beyond measure, ranging from irritation to embarrassment. It was then that she noticed his cheeks were a slight red color.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked her, slightly angry.  
  
"I'm going to-" She cleared her throat. "I'm going to help you get your- shirt on," she said, smiling as laughter threatening to bubble up. She stepped forward, turned him around slightly to where he was facing one wall, she the other, and took the hems of the shirt. She tugged it down until it was resting on his shoulders and his arms were inside it still.  
  
Delemir lost his balance and stumbled forward, pinning Lissa with her hands behind her to the wall. She tried to wiggle from under him, but his weight on her kept her where she was. Delemir opened his mouth to apologize, but stopped himself when he saw that he would have to move.  
  
She was soft under him, he realized, all curves and bunched muscles. He could feel the tautness in her stomach against his. He felt power there, strength and power. He wouldn't make the mistake of overestimating or underestimating it. When his gaze strayed to her face, he saw that her cheeks were drained of their color, but quickly regaining it; her lips were slightly parted; her eyes were widened in worry and something else he couldn't identify.  
  
Finding the opportunity too good to resist, he slowly lowered his mouth to hers and felt the softness of her lips under his. Emotions flew through him like the blood racing to his head to pound in his ears. It felt like someone had set fire in his veins and his blood was gasoline, fueling the flames. When he felt her resist slightly, that only fanned the flames more. His senses were becoming dulled as if the taste of her were a drug.  
  
Lissa didn't know what to do. She couldn't move her body at all. If she lifted her leg to try to wiggle away again, she would lose balance and when he fell, she would fall also. If she somehow wiggled her arm free, there was a good possibility that she would hurt herself and him. So, she just waited it out, and saw that that decision was a mistake as she felt the full force of the kiss reaching her mind.  
  
He was making her feel like she should not, like that morning in his room when he had her closed-in in the closet. Her heart pounded against her ribs, sending vibrations throughout her entire body. She thought her most vital organ would burst, it was riding so hard. She knew that this was wrong, but it felt so right. She knew that if this continued, she would give into something she vowed not to, but it felt so good with him pinning her down, his weight feeling like a feather now. Her head was spinning; she felt like she could fly. Her blood was churning; it felt marvelous. Her heart was pounding; it felt like it would leave her.  
  
Finally, Delemir lifted his mouth from hers and saw that Lissa's eyes were still open, watching him. They were full of panic. And fear. Sometime in the past minute and a half Delemir's hands had snaked from the sweater and were around Lissa's waist. He saw her lips quake and her cheeks drain of all color again, but slowly regaining it.  
  
"Melissa, please-"  
  
"Delemir, let go of me," Lissa said quietly, swallowing hard and trying to keep her entire body from trembling.  
  
Delemir did so and pushed himself backwards and against the other wall as Lissa stood up straight and left the small, curtained room. When he stepped from behind the curtain, he saw Lissa talking on a little portable phone. He stood, out of her line of vision, and crept up behind her, listening to whom she was talking to and what about.  
  
"Okay, Emilie. I'll see you in a few minutes. Yeah, just need to make a few cancellations. Blessed be," Lissa was saying, then hung up her phone.  
  
"That was Emily?"  
  
Delemir's breath was warm at Lissa's ear as he spoke. She near about jumped out of her skin in surprise. "Not the one you know," Lissa managed, forced her hand back down to her side that, instinctively, went to her heart. Lissa squirmed uneasily as she felt Delemir's breath still at her ear. "This Emilie is in the theatre club. She's producer and actress in many of her plays."  
  
"Hers? She writes them?" Delemir asked.  
  
Lissa turned around, slowly, and said, "Yes, but I don't know if hers, specifically, been put into works yet."  
  
"Works?"  
  
"Produced, Delemir. Now come with me while I pay for these," she said and headed for the checkout counter. She stopped suddenly and shoved Delemir into a dressing room to change again. When they finally reached the counter, Lissa took out her wallet and cell phone then punched a few numbers to cancel her doctor and hair appointments. She took out a credit card and went through the tedious procedure of paying for her items, oblivious as to what Delemir was doing. At that present moment, he was inspecting a pen thoroughly. He touched the tip a few times, finding little red marks on his fingertips. Then he turned it over and took off the bottom cap. He saw the liquid ink inside, rushing around. It wasn't until he heard Lissa shout his name in frustration that he realized that the ink was rushing out of the pen and onto his hand.  
  
"Delemir, what are you doing?" Lissa nearly shrieked. He looked up at her, down at his hands (covered in red ink) and then back at Lissa. She was apologizing to the cashier. When she felt she'd apologized enough, she pulled Delemir by his sleeve with the bags on her free arm.  
  
One look at Lissa and Delemir knew she was fit to kill him. She seethed, growled, and made incomprehensible noises in anger until she finally found decent enough words.  
  
"I'm going to hurt you!" she yelled finally, pulling him into a restaurant near the exit of the mall. She looked around and walked to the kitchen, ignoring the waiters and waitresses telling her she wasn't aloud in the back. She turned on them, stared at them viciously, then they quickly apologized and let her on her way.  
  
"Jenny, I need to borrow your sink!" Lissa shouted ominously and glared at Delemir.  
  
"Sure, Meliss!" Jenny shouted back and came into view. "Oh, who is this?" She eyed Delemir with obvious approval.  
  
"Ah, a friend of mine. He's thinking of, uh, moving here and I was showing him around. He's staying with me in my house," Lissa answered uneasily, tugging Delemir with her over to a deep sink. She turned the taps on and shoved Delemir's hands under the freezing water.  
  
"It's cold," he murmured quietly to her.  
  
"Well, duh, genius. Did you expect it to be hot?" Lissa sad sarcastically, pouring soap onto his hands and scrubbing at the red ink.  
  
"What'd he do?" Jenny asked, peering between their shoulders and winced. "Cut himself and let the blood stain his hands?"  
  
"No. He was playing with a pen and he let it leak all over him!" Lissa said in a tone that meant he might not be waking up in the morning.  
  
"Ooh," Jenny murmured then walked off to fill an order.  
  
"I'm going to hurt you really bad, Delemir. I honestly am." Lissa glared dangerously at him as his pale flesh slowly appeared from under the dark red ink.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Do you have to ask? You just cost me an extra twenty dollars to pay for the pen! That totaled to two hundred and sixty dollars that I spent on us today, mostly you!" she explained, then jumped off into yelling in some other language he couldn't understand.  
  
"What language were you speaking?" he asked, hoping he knew it but she was just speaking too fast for him to comprehend it.  
  
"French." She sighed loudly. "Hold still." She pushed his hands further into the water and rubbed at his palm with her thumb.  
  
For some reason, her touch on his hand felt a little more personal to Lissa. She didn't know why, was almost scared to know why, but knew she couldn't go anywhere with him looking like his hands were bleeding. And, without thinking, she spread her hand out and held it against his, palm to palm. His hand was nearly twice the size of hers, she thought. His skin was slightly rough and callused from work-archery and swordplay. There was a major contrast in the skin color difference with hers being olive colored and his being very pale.  
  
She used her fingers on her other hand to trace the dips and curves in their hands between their fingers. Her anger and frustration was forgotten as he twined his fingers with hers in a manner more so than friends.  
  
What was she doing to him? Delemir thought. Why was she making him feel this odd sensation in the pit of his stomach, like there were insects in it, fluttering around? She was making his heart skip beats and jump as her touch warmed his skin and sent his blood running through his veins vigorously. He couldn't believe such a small touch of affection could cause this to happen to him-to them both, he knew as his wrist skimmed over hers and he felt her pulse racing and jumping under her skin.  
  
"Lissa, you gonna get your phone?" Jenny said as she entered the kitchen again, upon hearing the familiar Für Elise tune. Instead of seeing Lissa seething and the gorgeous blonde man cowering under her wrathful growls, she saw their hands entwined and staring into each other's eyes. "Lissa!" She couldn't risk having people kissing in her kitchen.  
  
"Huh?" Lissa immediately broke the physical and eye contact she and Delemir had been sharing and finally heard her cell phone ringing. She answered it quickly with a rushed "Hello?" She began babbling excuses and apologies and finally hung up.  
  
"Who was it?" Delemir asked, finally able to calm his nerves.  
  
"Emilie."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Theatre. She said she was getting a little impatient waiting for me and wanted me to hurry," Lissa answered automatically, grabbing Delemir's other hand by the wrist, feeling his pulse skittish, and thrusting it under the water to rub the red off of it.  
  
Ten minutes later, Lissa was in her red, convertible Mustang, the top down and driving like a maniac. Delemir was practically clinging to her arm. He would have been doing just that, but she had already shaken him off in a desperate attempt to get on the highway to go to her house again. She blared her horn at people and finally reached her exit.  
  
Slowing down, she said, "Delemir, please find my cell phone in the bag for me." She pointed at the bag by his feet. He nodded and searched until Lissa was near the residential area, which was about three minutes later.  
  
"Lissa, it isn't in there," he said quietly. He looked at her, then his gaze lowered to her waist where he saw it clipped to her side. "Your phone is on your pants."  
  
"It is? Oh, it is. Will you get it for me?" she asked, hardly paying any mind to it as she turned up on the road to her house.  
  
Delemir made a distinct noise in his throat, then leaned over slowly. He found where the clip was, after setting his pulse and mind swimming as his fingers brushed her flesh a little bit, then pulled the phone off. He held it until Lissa took it from him, smiling.  
  
"Thank you," she murmured, hitting speed dial numbers. "Elenya." Delemir blinked a moment, then realized she was actually TO the phone. He shook his head, then heard it ringing. He zoned out of her conversation as they pulled into her driveway. Lissa shut the engine off, but stayed in her seat for a minute or two. When she hung up her phone, she opened her door casually, then started towards the front door with her key in hand.  
  
"You coming?" she asked him as she turned to face him.  
  
"Yes." He tried to move, but found himself still belted in. Undoing the safety harness, he grabbed the bag of clothes and ran after Lissa before she shut the door.  
  
"Take what's yours and change into it, then come to my room. I told Emilie we'd be there later than I expected due to technical difficulties. Don't bother asking what I mean," she added at his puzzled glance. "She understood and that's what is important."  
  
Delemir nodded and took half of the contents of the bag then headed slowly up the stairs to change. Lissa watched him go up and disappear. Smiling and shaking her head at herself, she picked up the bag and walked to her room. She decided she would show off some of her new clothes at the theatre. She wondered what she would wear.  
  
Pulling the garments out of the bag, she came across two shirts, one quite gauzy for sleeping and the other the sweater she had worn earlier. She pulled out two pairs of pants, the one that went with the sweater, and a pajama pair. Then three dresses, one short and snazzy, a break-your-heart tart red, another full and flowing, a deep, midnight blue, then the last one was her favorite. It was a casual evening dress you could wear anyplace without feeling inferior. The sleeves were belled out from her mid forearm and covered most of her hand. The neck was low and had folds in it. The back was high, covering the back of her neck. The skirt of the dress was straight and long, reaching her ankles.  
  
She smiled and put the dress aside and picked the blue dress. It was sleeveless and loose, one she could wear without feeling too confined in. Slipping into the dress quickly, she had a feeling Delemir was on his way. Just as she heard the door open, she was trying to get the zipper up.  
  
"Delemir, could you help?" she asked, finally giving up.  
  
"Of course. What do you need help with?"  
  
"This stupid zipper. It's too far down on my dress to reach," Lissa said, reaching her hand backwards and getting as close to it as she could.  
  
Delemir nodded and walked behind her. He found the handle on the zipper and tugged it up until it reached her neck. Unable to resist, he ran his fingers down her back and felt her stiffen. She turned, a playful glare on her face, and moved to her dresser.  
  
"Okay, let's see. Come here." She gestured to the spot beside her and wrapped her hair into a bun. "Now, look at me." She turned him by his shoulders.  
  
"Lissa, what are you doing?" Delemir asked, watching her eyes skim over his face and his hair.  
  
"Thinking."  
  
"About?"  
  
"How I'm going to fix your hair. I'm trying to decide if I should just put it in a ponytail like mine and give you the punkish look, or-" Here, she paused and lifted a lock of his blonde hair, tugging it gently. "if I should cut it."  
  
"No," he answered quickly, grabbing her wrist. "Absolutely not. I have seen what you do with scissors. I will not let you come near me with a pair."  
  
"Delemir, I'm pretty good at cutting hair. Especially dying it. I wonder what you'd look like if you had brown hair. I can see it now. You'd look hilarious!" She laughed and shook her head. "I'll just pull it back."  
  
Smiling still, Lissa picked up a black band and moved behind Delemir. She made an exasperated sound then said, "Do you have to be so tall?"  
  
"Why do you ask?  
  
"Because I can't get to your hair. Kneel down," she commanded, pushing on his shoulders.  
  
He laughed and did as he was told. He felt Lissa's hands go through his hair and pull it back. She confined it in a rubber band gently, covering the tips of his ears. His hair was like water as it slid over her fingers easily and through the band. When she was finished, Lissa walked to her bedside and picked up the handset phone. She dialed Emilie's number at work and carried a little conversation, saying she would catch the metro to Rosslyn, then walk to the theatre. She hung up abruptly after a departing endearment.  
  
"Out."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Out. I need to change again," Lissa said, pushing Delemir out. Quickly, she undid her zipper and slipped into the sweater and jeans from earlier. She put on her boots and ran the brush through her ponytail, then ran out of her room.  
  
"Lissa, what is a metro?" Delemir asked as they walked towards a metro station a few blocks away.  
  
"Kind of like a train but it goes underground. I can't really explain it to you since you came from Middle-Earth, where they're still in the Dark Ages." She snickered and waved at a passing car that honked their horn at her.  
  
"Who was that?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Why did you wave?" Delemir looked down at her, puzzled.  
  
"I don't know," she said again. "I was being polite. It was obviously someone who knew me, somehow or other, and recognized me. Or, it was a complete idiot who just felt like beeping their horn at that specific moment."  
  
"I see."  
  
A few minutes passed and they were finally about a block away from the metro station when Lissa spoke again.  
  
"You have an accent," she said.  
  
"I do?"  
  
"Yes. It sounds British, slightly," Lissa explained. She stopped and pointed at something. "You see that thing where the people are coming from?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Race you to it!" Lissa exclaimed and took off.  
  
Once he could function everything, Delemir took off like a bullet and quickly caught up with Lissa. He was still at her side when she stopped a few feet from the escalator.  
  
"What is that?" Delemir asked cautiously as Lissa took a step forward, towards it.  
  
"Come on. It's moving stairs," she explained, walking down them anyway. When they reached the bottom, she walked to the metro card machines and took out her credit cards. "Since I have no clue how long you're going to be here, I'm just going to buy you an unlimited use card, okay?"  
  
"Whatever you wish to do," Delemir answered.  
  
Lissa punched a few buttons, entered a few codes, and soon enough, a small plastic card appeared. She took it and tugged Delemir with her over to more machines that reached Lissa's upper waist. She stopped and turned around.  
  
"Okay. With your metro card, you stick it in that slot there-" She pointed at the card taking slot "then walk through. Then, your card will appear again right here." She pointed at another slot. "Just watch. She stuck her card in the first slot. Gadgets and gears whirred inside as she walked through the machine. Her card reappeared and she took it with ease. "You try."  
  
"All right." Delemir followed her instructions, but couldn't make his way through the gate. He looked back and saw his card there still. "Lissa? It did not work."  
  
"Try again. And you have to stick your card in the correct way. It has to be like this." She lifted her card and turned it a certain way.  
  
This time, when Delemir tried it, the machine let him through. Lissa quickly snatched his card away from him and put it in her wallet. She put hers in there as well.  
  
"Don't need to lose it," she muttered and went down another escalator just as the blue metro pulled up. Delemir clung to her arm and stared at the train-like thing as it stopped.  
  
"Would you let go?" Lissa snapped, pushing at his arm. "It's not going to kill you."  
  
Instead of breaking all physical contact, she took his hand in hers and pulled him with her. She sat down in seats near the back. She took the seat facing the window, not knowing if Delemir would get sick or not. The doors closed and the metro took off. It made one stop in Pentagon City, then another at the Pentagon, and yet another at the Arlington Cemetery before it stopped in Rosslyn. The entire ride, their physical contact never broke. Lissa's hand was firmly caught in Delemir's, occasionally tightening or loosening on her small hand.  
  
"You can stand up now, Delemir. We're in Rosslyn." Lissa was already standing and tugging at Delemir's arm. He looked up at her and nodded, standing as well. He looked down at their joined hands and brought her to his lips.  
  
"I must thank you, Lissa, for being able to stand me. My newness to this atmosphere may be permanent, so I would appreciate it if you were to stand my ignorance a little longer," he murmured to her. Lissa laughed richly.  
  
"Of course. I'd feel bad if I didn't right now, considering we're in one of the bigger cities where everything is.more crowded than Crystal City," Lissa said as they walked out of the metro and up the escalator. They went through the process with the cards again, Lissa snatching Delemir's from him once more when he came through, and then walked to a very tall escalator.  
  
" 'Stairway to Heaven,' " Lissa murmured with a grin on her face. "Come on, Delemir." She tugged him along, her hand once again caught in his, and up the escalator. She guessed it, for the first time, to be about a quarter of a mile high, maybe a little shorter. But, to make her assumptions short, you could hardly see the top of the escalator and the people going up and coming down.  
  
"I am not sure I like those moving stairs," Delemir said when they were on the streets again. They walked up a hill and then to their left, passing a restaurant called Orleans House that, Lissa knew, served excellent scallops from the Bay. She'd had them before on a trip to DC with her father years ago. She smiled at the memory.  
  
"Why not? I quite enjoyed it the first time I went on it," Lissa said whimsically as they crossed the street and went towards the Iwo Jima Memorial. They past street vendors and tall buildings; they went under bridges and by many people. Upon reaching a small turn off that had lush, green plants still on the sides of the walkway, Lissa stopped with a grin on her face.  
  
"Remind me to take you up here later. I'll tell you a great story of when I was a kid about thirteen and came here with my dad," she said, still smiling happily. It was one of her favorite memories, being surrounded by the glass panels with names sketched on them.  
  
"What is the place?" Delemir asked as they began walking again.  
  
"Surprise. Turn here," she said and veered to her left to cross the street. (A/N: I'm not sure about the buildings on the side of the road that they're going to, so this is all made up, but everything else isn't. Trust me.)  
  
They walked about one more block, then stopped in front of a tall building. Delemir craned his neck backward to try and see the top of it. He ogled a moment over how the sun glinted on the glass windows near the top of the building, and thought he saw people walking around. He drew himself back, reluctantly, as he felt Lissa pulling him inside.  
  
"Hey Lissa," one of the people said from behind a counter. Lissa walked by it and leaned on the marble.  
  
"Hello, Logan," she said to the blonde youth. "How are we today?" Delemir noticed something in her voice that was too sweet to be natural.  
  
"I'd be better if I knew what you were going to con me into," Logan said, leaning against the marble counter as well, close to Lissa's face. She smiled wickedly, then as quickly as the grin had come, wiped it off and twirled a finger absently against the marble.  
  
"Well, since I forgot my keycard at my house all the way back in Crystal City, I was wondering if I could..." she looked up from her lazy pattern on the counter and into Logan's eyes deeply "-check me in and say that I had my keycard to see Emilie."  
  
Logan sighed then laughed. "You never miss a beat in a man's weakness," he said, punching buttons on a small computer.  
  
Lissa cast a slightly fond glance to Delemir and a sultry smile crept onto her lips. "No, I don't." She reached out her hand to Logan's hair and lifted a lock of it, saying, "Especially blondes."  
  
Something about that gesture was just too personal for Delemir. It had his blood burning in his veins, but not like it had earlier the dressing room with Lissa. Something like jealousy, and anger, slipped into Delemir's eyes and face. He couldn't believe he was jealous over Lissa playing it sweet with some desk boy.  
  
"Thank you, Logan," Lissa was saying. She leaned over the counter and gave Logan a peck on the cheek.  
  
"Tell Emilie I said hi," he called after her as Lissa pulled Delemir with her to an elevator.  
  
"Sure will," she said as she stepped inside the box.  
  
"She's on the top floor."  
  
"Thanks!" she called as the doors closed. She punched a button with numbers on it and they took off upward. Her smile widened as she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. A content sigh escaped her lips and filled the air, joining her soft scent.  
  
"Why did you do that?" Delemir asked suddenly. He leaned forwards on the balls of his feet and stuck his hands in his pockets.  
  
"What? Do what?" Lissa stammered, opening her eyes again, the serene look disappearing.  
  
"Kiss him."  
  
"Who? Logan?" Delemir nodded. "Out of appreciation," she murmured, standing up straight and taking a wary step towards Delemir as the elevator halted. Upon his stern look, she continued as the doors opened. "I forgot my card to get in here, to sign in, and he signed me in anyway because we're friends. I don't know about you, but that's what friends do here. They help each other out in times of need." Lissa pulled Delemir with her out into a hallway.  
  
He sighed and heard soft music in the distance, and strong voices echoing off of a high roof. He felt the hand tucked carefully in the crook of his arm leading him closer to it until she pushed open doors where there was a stage and hundreds upon hundreds of seats in front of it.  
  
Lissa let go of Delemir's arm as a tall, brown haired woman stood and walked to Lissa. She extended her hands and Lissa took them both in hers. The two women hugged each other in their manner of friendship, then linked arms, staring over the stage.  
  
"It's about time you got here," the woman said, ruffling Lissa's hair.  
  
"Yeah, sorry. I had to cancel three appointments, clean up a mess, drive home, change, walk to the metro and ride it here, walk from the station to the building and sweet talk Logan into signing me in. I had a busy afternoon, Emilie," Lissa explained quickly as the people on stage began speaking their lines again.  
  
"How's Bennett?" Emilie asked.  
  
"He's great. He's in love with the neighbor's cat and no doubt causing them to have her fixed," Lissa joked. They both laughed a moment, then settled down again.  
  
"And you? How are you, Melissa?" Emilie asked quietly, her voice becoming more serious. "With all of your doctor's appointments lately, you haven't told anyone what they're for," she added upon Lissa's mouth opening to say something. "It's only natural for us to worry."  
  
Lissa sighed and muttered something inaudibly and incoherently before saying, "The doctors aren't doing anything about it, and can't, so they claim. Bloody moneysuckers."  
  
Emilie nodded.  
  
"Well, what act are we-"  
  
"Lissa, I've never known you to leave one of your friends waiting to be introduced. A very gorgeous friend," she added in an undertone as Delemir walked behind Lissa and placed his hand on her shoulder.  
  
Lissa cleared her throat distinctly before answering. She cast Delemir an uneasy look, then said, "This is Delemir. He's staying with me for a while. He may be moving here."  
  
Emilie skipped a beat, the name sounding slightly familiar, then finally extended her hand, remembering who he was and why his name was familiar. "I'm Emilie. Thought you'd like to know since Lissa didn't tell you," she said, casting a playful glance at her.  
  
"I have heard much about you, Emilie," Delemir said then kissed her hand. "I hear you write stories. Do you write them to be produced?"  
  
Emilie turned an odd shade of red, then cleared her throat. "Some. What were you saying a moment ago, Lissa?" she said, quickly changing the subject.  
  
"Uh, what act are we on?" Lissa improvised, forgetting nearly everything again as Delemir's touch came into full affect on her shoulder. She wondered how the most impersonal of contacts could make her head swim and her blood run hot in her veins.  
  
"Act II, scene I, almost II. Romeo and those two other guys-Mercutio and Benvolio-are talking."  
  
" 'Romeo and Juliet' is a very interesting play, and you're taking on a good bit with Shakespeare's work."  
  
"I know," Emilie murmured, leaning against a chair.  
  
Delemir sighed and zoned out. He hadn't the faintest idea what they were talking about and, quite frankly, didn't particularly care either. He watched the actors on the stage carrying out a desperate love story. It was full of passion and romance, he thought. Something he could never have here.  
  
He cast a wary glance at Lissa as he zoned back in to see her walking down the aisle toward the stage. He watched her gingerly jump onto the platform, favoring her left knee, then walk to the very back of the stage, saying this and that to the actors. He watched her look at the man that was playing Romeo, he'd gathered, and watched Lissa take Juliet's part.  
  
"Okay, say it," she commanded to the man.  
  
" 'She speaks. O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art  
  
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head,  
  
As is a wingèd wond'ring eyes  
  
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him  
  
When he bestrides the lazy puffing clouds  
  
And sails upon the bosom of the air.' "  
  
Then, Lissa sighed contently and said with a fevered passion,  
  
" 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?  
  
Deny thy father and refuse thy name,  
  
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,  
  
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.' "  
  
Lissa slouched over a little more, as was her usual stance, and walked towards the woman acting as Juliet.  
  
"Did you see how I said it? Full of emotion. That's how you say it. 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?' Like that," Lissa said again, tucking a bit of her hair that had escaped its ponytail behind her ear. She looked at Delemir and smiled. Delemir felt compelled to smile back, so he did; though he could hardly feel the muscles in his face to know if he was frowning or smiling.  
  
And before he knew it, Lissa was walking towards him again, pushing up the arms of her sweater. She had a smile on her face, still, but this one was different. Less personal, he thought automatically as she took his hand.  
  
"You don't mind being here, do you?" she asked, looking up at him.  
  
"No, not at all," he answered quickly, averting eye contact.  
  
"You sure? This may be a long time that I'm here."  
  
"I'm-"  
  
"Okay, guys! Call time tomorrow morning is nine! Be here and be sober!" Emilie called out to her troupe.  
  
"Never mind about my concern for you being bored," Lissa said, smiling and letting go of Delemir's arm. "Hold on a minute."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Emilie, I can't come tomorrow because my appointments were rescheduled for tomorrow morning, and I really need to trim my hair and color it. And Delemir needs a hair cut too," Lissa said, taking Emilie's hand in hers in a friendly manner.  
  
"Okay. If you have time, I wouldn't mind it at all if you did come in anyway," Emilie said with a smile on her face.  
  
"I'm sure you wouldn't," Lissa joked. "But Delemir and I need to get going before it gets too dark. I wanted to show him Freedom Park and take him through those shops below it."  
  
"Okay, Meliss, have fun."  
  
"You bet. Blessed be." They embraced, then Lissa turned back to walk with Delemir out of the theatre.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, guys, this was an extra long chapter! Whoopee! Well, not really extra, but my longest one so far. ;) But just to clear a few things up, I did go to Washington, D.C. with my dad a few months ago, during the summer. It was after my birthday, so I was really thirteen. The restaurant, Orleans House, does really serve scallops that are great, and there really is Freedom Park and Iwo Jima Memorial. In my profile, the link to the site where the photos of Freedom Park are, in the photo album and Places. Please, don't tamper with the site there unless you really plan on joining it, okay? My friends and I manage it, so don't mess anything up. But anyway, I don't own the sites in DC, the restaurant, or the metro station. If I did, I'd be very, very rich. ;) I don't own any of Shakespeare's works, great as they are. But I do own the theatre, since I made it up, and Delemir, Lissa, Bennett and the house that they live in. But anyhow...if I left anything out that I don't own, you know it! Like Lotr, I don't own it. It's an understood fact. Anyway, blessed be!  
  
P.S. I just got home from DC again today. But I didn't go to any of those places. The places I went will be showing up by the middle of January, hopefully, since that's as far as I've written so far. Heehee. Anyway, talk to y'all later! 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
When they reached the entrance to Freedom Park, Delemir automatically linked arms with Lissa, tucking her hand in the crook of his elbow. They walked up the steps slowly, savoring the beauty that was still clinging to the life it held in it still until the winter frost would come over it. Everything was still lush and green, full of life. In the next week or so, it would be turning brown and orange and the colors of fall.  
  
It was Lissa's favorite time of the year. She loved how the leaves turned brown, gold, red, orange, and yellow. They were a masterpiece of art, something she greatly appreciated. Something she would never forget, not in all the lifetimes of men after her. The memory of how things looked when she lived in other states in contrast to Virginia would be with her; Alabama, California, Louisiana, then finally Virginia. Those were the places where she grew up among the seasons changing beautifully and had taken in the glorious times of her childhood.  
  
To Delemir, this world was so very different from his, yet still had that same feeling that he was home. The feeling was even stronger when he was with Lissa, he thought. He didn't want to lose that feeling. He didn't want to leave here. He wanted to stay. His world was great, yes, but in the week that he'd been here, he had developed a since of familiarity that felt so good, he didn't want it to go away.  
  
Then, when he saw what was next, his breath was taken away.  
  
"We're here," Lissa announced, guiding him to a swirl of glass in shades of gold and purple that were so magnificent, there could hardly be a word to describe them. (A/N: You'd have to see it yourself in those pictures) "Freedom Park. Along this wall here-" she gestured to the glass panels that were many sheets of glass put together to reflect you and show their colors "-are the names of the journalists-writers-that died during wars trying to write what it was about."  
  
"So many names," Delemir whispered, running his fingers along the names etched in the glass. "So many lives that were taken. And for what?"  
  
"To be placed in history. To be placed here." Lissa looked up at Delemir with a serenity he rarely ever saw in her eyes. The feelings there, inside of her, were overflowing with compassion for those that died and the yearning to be so renowned as they had been, but hopefully not in the same way.  
  
"Nine years ago, when I was thirteen, my dad and I stood right here." She stood next to the swirl of glass that curled inward. "One of his coworkers took a picture of us. I still have it on my computer, I think. I'll have to show you. But just walking along here, by these names; it made my eyes fill."  
  
Delemir looked down at her now, and saw her eyes doing just that. Tears nearly slipped out of her eyes, but she blinked them back. "Do not be afraid to cry for those that died in battle, Lissa. I am sure their hearts weep with you when you take the time to appreciate them," he told her, catching her chin in his hand.  
  
Again her eyes filled and tears spilled over her eyes as she said, "I know. I just don't really make it a habit of crying in public. It's a little embarrassing."  
  
"Why is it embarrassing to show how you feel about something?"  
  
"Well, because here, in my world, people see feelings, sometimes, as things better kept to yourself. I mean, you don't just up and cry about something like this. Normally, you take pictures and let it all sink in at your house then cry your eyes out all you want-without people watching you." Lissa swiped at her tears that were on her cheeks.  
  
Delemir locked gazes with her, and for one single moment, he saw everything she was feeling, everything she was thinking. For that one moment, he was inside her mind. He saw love for her family and friends; compassion for the bodies of those names carved into the glass behind them; and fears of something that was still unknown to her.  
  
"What are you afraid of?" he asked her, leaning closer to her. The bond was broken when she tore her gaze away and pulled out of his touch.  
  
"I'm only afraid of one thing, other than that, it's nothing I fear my God. There is nothing to fear but fear itself," she murmured. "Come on. There are some shops down below that I want to show you." She didn't wait for him to follow after her as she hurried off to a door that led to a staircase.  
  
She quickly went down and waited for Delemir to appear behind her. When he did, she avoided his touch and led him to another escalator. This one was very narrow. Delemir had to stand behind Lissa as they went down. He watched her slip off the steps and onto the firm ground with ease. He, on the other hand, stumbled a bit in the process.  
  
"All right?" she asked him.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good." She walked into a little store that was very crowded with aisles filled with merchandise for this and that. There were shot glasses and key chains; pens and lighters; candy and sodas. Delemir watched Lissa pick up a shot glass and inspect it carefully, thoroughly. A slight grin crept onto her face as she pulled out a money clip and set the glass and some money down on a counter.  
  
Watching the transition with interest, Delemir was surprised when he, all of a sudden, saw a tall man come up beside Lissa and greet her with a loud, smacking kiss on her cheek, murmuring something that sounded like "Hello, beautiful," to her. Anger and jealously flared in him, but Delemir kept it to himself as the two shared a "touching" reunion.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Lissa was saying with obvious shock and delight. "You weren't supposed to be in till Saturday!" She embraced the man once again with a smile on her face. Her eyes, smiling once again, met Delemir's.  
  
"Well, I just decided I couldn't wait to see you," the man said as they broke out of their embrace. Lissa nearly died laughing as she saw the horrid look on Delemir's face. He looked ready to kill. "Who's this?" The man watched Lissa walk over to Delemir and slip her arm around his waist.  
  
"This is Delemir. He's staying with me for a while. He, ah, might be thinking of moving here to Crystal City if he figures out why he was put in this specific place," Lissa explained. She didn't consider her "material" lying, just forgetting a few semi-important details.  
  
"Delemir, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Connor, one of Lissa's high school sweethearts," Connor explained.  
  
"Not exactly sweethearts, just really close friends," Lissa put in, watching Delemir closely. "I just took him up to the Freedom Park Memorial and showed him the journalist names. Before that, we saw Emilie at the theatre."  
  
"Really? How is she?" Connor asked.  
  
"She's great. Where are you staying?" Lissa slipped away from Delemir and over to the counter to pick up her change and her shot glass. "Here, keep two dollars for a tip," she said absently, handing two dollar bills to the cashier. She didn't even hear the thanks as she walked back to Delemir and Connor.  
  
"I was going to stay at the Hilton hotel just up the road from your place, but they're booked and every other place is booked for the holidays until February," Connor said woefully.  
  
"Then you're staying at my place. I don't know how I'll be able to handle two guys in my house, but somehow I will."  
  
"Hopefully not the same way you did with your brother and father when you were a kid," Connor said playfully.  
  
"No, I'm a lot meaner now." Lissa linked arms with both men and they started out to her home again as night was falling.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh, mon Dieu!" Lissa cried as the sun shined into her bedroom.  
  
Instantly, Connor ran from the kitchen to her room and saw Lissa lying on her bed, curled in a little ball with a pillow covering her head. "What? What is it?"  
  
"My head!" she yelled. "Too...much...light! Kill it!" Barely peeking out from under her pillow, she uttered a low moan.  
  
Connor held in laughter and closed her window shades. "Better?" he asked.  
  
"Hardly. Could you speak quieter?" she whispered.  
  
Then Delemir ran in, looking frantic. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
Lissa nearly shrieked, but instead stood up and ran to her bathroom. A terrible retching noise was heard from inside, could be heard clearly despite she had shut the door. Connor grinned wryly and shook his head.  
  
"She has a hangover, buddy. I think she went a little too far with her whiskey last night enjoying her new shot glass," Connor said.  
  
"I only filled it three times!" Lissa yelled from inside, then moaned loudly.  
  
"Yeah, to the rim and then you downed it like a parched man in a desert," Connor replied. "Do you want a rag?"  
  
"I want an aspirin and this-" She gagged and gasped for air "-bloody hangover to go away. I wasn't even drunk, only a little buzzed," she muttered. "Yes, get me a cold, wet rag and a Tylenol. No aspirin in the cupboards."  
  
"Delemir, you know where her rags and her Tylenol are, right?" Connor asked.  
  
"Yes." Delemir had learned, within his first two days living there with Lissa where the Tylenol was located.  
  
"Will you go get two Tylenol and a wet rag for her? Preferably a white rag," Connor said quietly and stepped into the bathroom after grabbing a hair tie for Lissa.  
  
Inside, she was muttering in French, and holding her hair back. Occasionally, she'd stop talking and cough or throw up again, but she always went back to French.  
  
"I'm really glad I don't speak French. I'm scared of what you're saying," Connor said quietly, kneeling beside her and rubbing her back. "Here." He handed her the hair scrunchy.  
  
"Thanks." Lissa pulled her hair back in a folded ponytail and leaned back against the wall.  
  
"Delemir is getting Tylenol and a wet rag for you," Connor said quietly, leaning against the door.  
  
"Good." Closing her eyes, Lissa drifted in a world that hardly existed. "I'm getting a cold," she muttered as a scratchy feeling formed in her throat. "By the end of the day, I'm going to be sneezing and using up all the tissue boxes in this house."  
  
"I have the Tylenol and the rag," Delemir announced, walking into the bathroom.  
  
"Shh!" Lissa hissed, covering her ears. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"  
  
"Don't talk so loud," Connor said, standing and taking the rag and two white pills from Delemir. He gave her the rag, which she promptly set on her neck. Then, Connor filled a cup with water and handed it to her.  
  
Lissa downed the Tylenol and gagged, leaning over to the toilet. "Mon Dieu, I'm going to die. It feels like my head is being split open," she muttered.  
  
Connor smiled and leaned down then began to rub her back gently again. "No, you won't. By lunch, you'll be feeling better," he promised. "Right Del?"  
  
"Of course," Delemir agreed absently.  
  
Upon a shrill ringing beside Connor, Lissa shrieked and uttered a creative curse in French again. Connor swept up the phone, somehow or other placed in the bathroom, and answered it.  
  
"Hello?" he said quietly, standing up and walking out of the bathroom. His voice trailed off as he ventured further into the house and away from them.  
  
Delemir knelt down beside Lissa and leaned back against the side of the tub. She was still leaning over the toilet, gasping for air. Her face, normally tan, was white as a sheet. Her hands, normally steady, trembled and shook as she grasped for something to hold onto. Her voice, normally firm, quivered as she spoke.  
  
"Delemir?" Her hand found his in some miraculous moment.  
  
"Yes?" he asked, squeezing her hand.  
  
"Just so you know, there's nothing between Connor and me. I saw how you looked at him yesterday in the shop. I find it..." She trailed off as she retched again, all liquid from the previous night's welcome to Connor. "Cute," she finished, "that you're jealous. But don't kill him over a small little affectionate kiss, si'l vou plait."  
  
"What's that mean?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Lissa, that was the secretary at your doctor's office. She needs to know if you're coming today or if you're going to cancel your appointment at the last second again," Connor said as he stepped in.  
  
"Shh. Yes, I'm coming today if this hangover goes away. But don't tell her the hangover part," Lissa warned. She waited a beat, then added, "I'll be there if I can manage to move by the time of my appointment."  
  
"Okay." Connor walked off again, talking to the secretary still.  
  
"All right," Delemir said, placing his hand on Lissa's shoulder.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I won't kill him. Though, involuntarily, I may hurt him if he is too affectionate," Delemir cautioned.  
  
"Don't, please. I don't need one of my best friends to be injured, bloodied, or bruised," Lissa murmured. "I think the nausea is done, thank God."  
  
"Good, now if you could only take loud noises, you'd be set," Connor said as he stepped inside the bathroom again. "Need a hand up?"  
  
"No. I need a big feather bed and a glass of Merlot wine and a really good romance book," Lissa said, standing up. She hissed in a breath again and touched her knee. Shrugging off help, she walked to her bed and fell onto it, closing her eyes. "I'm going back to sleep."  
  
"No you aren't," Connor said, falling next to her. "You're going to wake up now and get over your hangover by dealing with it."  
  
"Then every time a pin drops on the floor, you'll have to deal with my shrieking. Connor, I swear if you don't get out of here now, I'm going to kill you. I'm going back to sleep and if you don't let me, I'll personally make sure you never father any children."  
  
"You used that against your brother once. I remember that story," Connor said playfully, trailing his finger up her arm.  
  
"Yes, and I'm going to be less idle with that threat if you don't get out of my room," Lissa muttered, kicking him away.  
  
"Fine. Be that way. I'll just go and sulk in a corner, meanie," he said with false hurt in this voice.  
  
"Good." Lissa pulled a pillow over her head again and was out cold, sleeping like the dead, for the next five hours. And then was awake for another three.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There were tissues everywhere. The bed was covered in white, snotty tissues. Disgusting as it may have been, Lissa was trying to clean then up by stuffing them in a bag already full. There were three empty tissue boxes, four empty bowls that had contained chicken soup, three mugs of hot chocolate long since gulped down quickly, one sick female, two frantic males trying to keep the female under control, and a partridge and a pear tree.  
  
Tying a knot in one bag, Lissa reached behind her and grabbed about the fifth to last tissue in yet another box and blew her nose, or at least tried to as it ran away from her. Muttering something incoherently, she grabbed another bag and started stuffing the other fifteen million used tissues into it. This wasn't how she expected to spend her weekend-sick with the cold, a story nearly past its deadline, and two men living with her for a while until one left back to Manhattan, and the other living with her until he found out why he was there in Washington, D.C.  
  
This was how she planned on spending her weekend: Using the money that should have gone in the bank to build up on interest to indulge in a weekend spa and bath, getting massages and pampered; eating whatever she wanted when she got back home, leaving the work to her fast metabolism, and working at all hours she felt like on her children's story.  
  
"Feeling better?" Delemir ventured to ask as he brought another mug of hot chocolate to Lissa.  
  
"Bite me, Blondie, and you try having a cold and being impaired from the little fantasies you'd been planning to indulge in for over a month. And I had them planned out so perfectly that I called the spa last weekend, saying to expect me today around noon," Lissa muttered, filling the bag with only a fraction of the white, formerly puffy things on her bed.  
  
"How many tissues are usually in a box?" Delemir asked.  
  
Reaching over to check on the box only an arm's length away, Lissa said, "Your guess is as good as mine, but seeing as I've used...almost four boxes, and judging by the portion of my bed covered in tissues and the two full bags of them, I'd say a hundred to a hundred and fifty."  
  
"What are we doing now?" Connor asked as he came back in to check on Lissa.  
  
"Estimating how many tissues are in a tissue box." Lissa yet again caught her nose as it tried to run away from her. Growling and leaning back, she kicked at the other tissues on her bed with an attitude that said she never wanted to see a tissue again for the rest of her life. "I need another box."  
  
"I bet."  
  
"Shut up." Lissa threw the closet thing that was semi-hard at Connor's head- her foam pillow. He, most unfortunately, caught it and laid back on it on the ground. Bennett walked in and sniffed at Connor's hair. He walked away and sneezed, then jumped up to cuddle in Lissa's lap.  
  
"It's my kitty!" she cooed at him. "How are we today?" She stroked his head and scratched his ears lovingly, shooting evil glances at Delemir and Connor. "At least someone isn't afraid to come near me."  
  
Bennett meowed as quietly as a Siamese could and purred like a motor boat. He rubbed his head against Lissa's stomach and was rewarded by more petting and scratching.  
  
"Hey, it isn't my fault I don't want to get sick," Connor said. "Though I will be, most likely, in about a week. Which reminds me. Who were you with seven to ten days ago?"  
  
Blowing her nose again, Lissa said, "Well, Delemir got here about a week ago, then I saw Emily-not the theatre one-that day. We had spaghetti, in case you're wondering. Then, before that...the three days before that, I was a hermit working on my children's book of which you both are depriving me of working on now."  
  
Connor shrugged again and smiled. "Still isn't my fault. Delemir, did you have a cold when you got here?"  
  
Delemir, who had been focusing on something suddenly interesting on the other side of the room, zoned back and stammered out an answer, sounding something like this: "Huh? Oh, no...No I was not ill," but sounded a lot worse when in his actual words.  
  
"Um, guys," Lissa said quietly, interrupting the conversation they were beginning. She tried hard not to laugh.  
  
"Yeah?" Connor sent her an absent look.  
  
"Would you mind getting out of my room while you talk so I can sleep a little bit?" she asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.  
  
Delemir and Connor stood in unison and left Lissa to fall asleep in ten seconds flat. They walked into the living room and Connor burst out laughing.  
  
"What?" Delemir asked, sitting on the couch.  
  
"You and Melissa," Connor answered, still grinning. He settled on the floor and uttered a half laugh before continuing. "In the past hours that I've been with you two, you were fighting and arguing; threatening and, well, Lissa did most of the throwing of objects. But you two are hilarious. I don't see how you're going to survive another day with her."  
  
Delemir managed an uneasy smile and pushed his hair behind his ear, wary of its delicate point. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" he said softly.  
  
"Dude, you're not hitting on her, are you?" Conner asked, a cocky grin on his face.  
  
"Hitting on her?" Delemir was truly confused.  
  
"You know, trying to slip a move on her, stuff like that?"  
  
Delemir followed where Connor was taking the conversation and didn't like it. "No. I would never even think of-" Then he remembered something from the previous day. In the dressing room, they'd kissed, and he had moved on it.  
  
Connor let out a sly laugh then said, "I knew it. You do have a flaw, and it's with Lissa."  
  
"I do not, and certainly not with her," Delemir protested, sending Connor a defiant look. He only laughed.  
  
"If you say so." Connor leaned back on the floor and yawned. "I didn't catch a wink last night, how about you?"  
  
"Beg pardon?" Delemir said, finding himself yawning as well.  
  
"Did you sleep any last night? What is with you and modern day clichés?" Connor muttered.  
  
"No, not well, at least. I have been having dreams since I arrived here. They are very frightening dreams," Delemir said quietly. "They have plagued my sleep for over a week." Delemir looked up and saw Connor instantly become interested.  
  
"I'm a dream analyst, so...you mind telling me about them?" he asked, nearly bursting from anticipation.  
  
"Sure," Delemir murmured. "Well, firstly, it's before I come here, to Lissa's house. I know that much for sure. It is as if I am floating at first, then I land on something hard and solid. I nearly feel the pain surging through me. In fact, I do feel it. I can feel the air rushing past me, through my hair and I see the ground rushing up to meet me.  
  
"After I hit the ground-What are you doing?" Delemir looked at Connor strangely as he opened up a document on Lissa's laptop.  
  
"Keep going. I'm keeping track of it. After you hit the ground....What happens next?"  
  
"I stand, feeling weary and sore everywhere. I begin to walk someplace, I don't know where. I see people around me-they're dead. Their cold eyes stare back at me as if wishing their fate on me as well. I hear myself breathing and my heart thudding in my chest. My blood is pounding in my ears. My pulse is racing like a stallion. And all of that is caused because I am staring into the eyes of the dead."  
  
"Intense," Connor murmured, typing vigorously. "Continue."  
  
"I continue walking, and eventually, I see this man-this dark figure on top of a hill. He kills others around me like they are nothing, with only a flick of his wrist. Just tossing his hand in one direction and his victims follow in that way, soaring through the sky and landing lifelessly. I feel anger pulsing through me. I know that these people are my friends and family. It infuriates me that he kills them with so little care.  
  
"As most of me is telling me to run away, to live, there is one tiny part of me that wishes to carry out the vengeance my kin deserve. I charge the man in black, my sword raised-"  
  
"Wait, you have a sword? What is this, a Middle Ages dream?" Connor interrupted, suddenly wearing rectangle-framed reading glasses.  
  
"In a sense."  
  
"Oh. Carry on. You were just running towards the man in black with your sword raised."  
  
"Yes. My sword was raised high above my head as I ran towards the man. As I am about three feet from his back, I cry out." Delemir paused just long enough to make Connor speak.  
  
"What type of cry, or was that the end?"  
  
"No. No, that wasn't the end. It is far from the end, I believe." Delemir's voice was suddenly low and sultry, a type of mourning sound in it. "The man turns around and raises his hand in front of him. Instead of making me soar away, I feel this heat searing through me, burning my flesh. I am stuck in the one position I was in as the man chanted words. Words in a different language, one I had never heard before.  
  
"Then, after the heat, then came a terrible cold, freezing me to my bones. I cry out again, this time in pain as I feel something torn from me. After that, I don't remember anything besides the man's cold, frigid laughter as he stares down at me."  
  
"Down?"  
  
"I fell. I don't know how, but I did." Delemir sat completely still, his hands folded in his lap carefully. "I felt so empty as he laughed. Then I woke up." Connor looked up from Lissa's laptop with a look of intrigue on his face. "And you're telling me you dreamed that?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you expect me to believe you felt something as detailed as this, in a dream?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Snow!"  
  
Both men looked towards Lissa's room, where the exclamation had come from. Connor stood and walked to her bedroom, but Delemir stayed sitting on the couch. He knew it sounded crazy. He knew that he sounded crazy. But he had dreamed it. He knew he had, he had felt it. And for some reason, it felt more than a dream, almost a reality. He could almost feel the same emptiness he had during his dream.  
  
"Delemir! Come here!" Lissa cried happily, running into the dining room. Delemir stood and walked towards her, only to be caught in a hard hug. "It's snowing! It's snowing!" Lissa laughed happily.  
  
Delemir couldn't help but smile at her show of enthusiasm by the change of weather. If he really did have the same emptiness, the feeling of missing something, Lissa filled that spot when she was happy. He carefully returned her hug, but with less emotion and power, and looked up. He saw Connor giving him a hard stare, almost like he was warning him against something, warning him not to do something.  
  
"It's the first snow of the season!" Lissa was saying. Then, her energy lowered a bit as she added, "And I'm sick."  
  
"You'll be feeling better by tomorrow if you drink some of that vitamin C water," Connor said.  
  
"Right, and you're Ella Fitzgerald," Lissa said, pulling out of Delemir's arms and turning to face the other man.  
  
"Nah, I can't sing at all. And I'm not dead. But are you saying that it won't make you better, or that you won't take it because it tastes terrible only when you fix it?"  
  
"The...hmm. Are you saying you can make it right, Connor?" Lissa asked.  
  
"Yes. Or at least make it much better than your vitamin C water. This will take like real lemonade instead of really bitter lemonade," Connor told her.  
  
"Fine. Go make it. Then let me tell you about this really weird dream I had earlier. It had Delemir in it," Lissa said, bounding off to her living room and over to her laptop. When she reached it, she saw Connor's document and stared at it in question. "Hey, what's this? Connor, were you using my laptop?"  
  
"Yes!" he called from the kitchen.  
  
"What for? Who said you could?" Lissa crossed her arms and stared at the kitchen doorway, but didn't see Connor to throw a death glare at her.  
  
"Answer number one: Delemir was telling me about a dream he had and I took notes on it. Answer number two: I did."  
  
Lissa called something out in French and grinned. She sat down at her laptop and opened a new document.  
  
"Did you curse at me in French, Lissa?" Connor asked when he appeared in the archway between the dining room and living room.  
  
"No, I called you a pig," she said, laughing.  
  
"This woman has no manners at all. When she knows someone doesn't understand French, she'll yell at him or her in it, call them mean names. Does she do that to you, Delemir?" Connor handed Lissa the glass.  
  
"I have learned to fear whatever Lissa says when it is in a foreign language. If you'll excuse me," Delemir said and began towards the stairs.  
  
"Where are you going?" Lissa asked, looking up at him as he walked up her carpeted stairs.  
  
"My room."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because."  
  
"Because why?" Lissa watched, still, with a childish type of fascination as Delemir disappeared out of her view.  
  
"Because I don't wish to talk to anyone right now."  
  
Then his door nearly slammed, and Lissa shot a mean look over at Connor, knowing he had something to do with it. "What'd you do to him while I was asleep?" she demanded.  
  
"Nothing. After he told me his dream, I asked if he really did dream it because it's really de-"  
  
"You doubted him?" Lissa nearly shrieked.  
  
"I only met the man yesterday, Melissa," Connor insisted.  
  
"I don't care. I doubted him when I first met him, but his second day here, I believed him. Delemir is a very truthful person. He's never lied to me."  
  
"In the week you've known him," Connor said.  
  
Lissa looked over at him with a frightening gleam in her eyes. If looks could kill, Connor wouldn't be dead, just honestly and seriously hurting. Lissa saw him shudder and found glory in it as she continued to stare at him.  
  
"Why don't you just shove all the crap you have about dreams someplace I don't want to know about, Connor. You two are both my friends, all right? I don't want to lose that status with either of you, but right now, Delemir does need a place to stay. I've figured out he's not exactly from here, and doesn't have money for everything. Then, you go and say that you don't believe something that, as you said he said, was so real that he could feel it. What about those dreams I've told you about over the phone where I could feel every touch across my skin?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Lissa," Connor began, but immediately stopped when Lissa stood.  
  
"Look. Just forget it, okay? I don't want to get into this, and I doubt Delemir would really want me to tell anyone else about it, either," Lissa said and stood up slowly.  
  
"Where're you going?" Connor watched her move towards the stairs slowly, the thick, white, terry cloth robe she was wearing billowing slightly out behind her.  
  
"Upstairs to talk to Delemir," she answered absently. As she mounted the stairs, she shuddered from a heat deep in her body. She pushed her hair, slick and soft from a shower she had sneaked in while Delemir and Connor had been talking, back behind her ear and felt the round top of it. She thought of Delemir, and his ears with their soft points that she had once touched. She remembered the day she had done that, in the kitchen, then it had carried onto the dining room. That had been one of the most horrific days of her life, she thought to herself.  
  
"Delemir?" Lissa said through the door, knocking softly.  
  
"Yes?" he asked, opening his door. He poked his head out and came nearly face to face with Lissa.  
  
"Whoa," she said with a smile, leaning backwards slightly.  
  
Reaching out towards her, Delemir pulled Lissa in quickly by her shoulder. Lissa emitted a slight, very quiet cry as he did so, but quieted when she was inside. She looked into Delemir's eyes and saw that they were cold, the usual deep blue now an icy blue-gray.  
  
"Delemir, what's wrong?" she asked, walking over to the chair by the window. She sat down and touched a small figure of a ballerina in a pirouette, ready to jump into the arms of her partner that was made of clear glass. She ran her finger over another figure, another little glass ballet figure, a man this time, ready to catch the other ballerina when she jumped. "Sit down." She laid her hand at the spot in front of her where another chair was.  
  
Delemir sighed and obliged to do so. When he sat down, he folded his hands neatly on the table in front of him. Lissa could swear that was the first time she ever saw him hunched down as he was now. She reached over and laid her hand over his and squeezed them gently. He looked up at her, his eyes still cold, and met her warm eyes.  
  
"What is it?" Lissa asked softly. "Tell me, please."  
  
"I cannot really explain it. After I told Connor about my dream-"  
  
"He doesn't believe you," Lissa put in.  
  
"I know." Delemir looked down at their joined hands and thought to himself, it looked so right. How long would he be able to sit here and be with her like this? How much longer did he have until he figured out why he was here, and what for? "He told me he didn't. But after I told him about the sensations and everything that I felt, saw, and heard, he thought I was mad, most likely. But everything was so real, so tangible that it scared me when I woke up from the first night of it. It still scares me."  
  
"Will you tell me about it?" Lissa asked, looking deep into Delemir's eyes. She saw them warm slightly. She offered an encouraging smile and waited patiently for an answer, though that wasn't one of her strong points.  
  
"Of course." And off he went into his dream, all of the sensations, feelings, and the sounds he had heard. When he finished, he looked up at Lissa, who was still staring at him in slight shock of his vivid memory of his dream. He saw the understanding and sympathy she had for him in her eyes. Her eyes were the first thing he had loved about her.  
  
"When did you first begin having these dreams, Delemir?" she asked quietly, her hand still on his tightly.  
  
"The first night I was here," he answered, averting his eyes to the window. "I have a faint memory that it's more a reality than a dream, Lissa. Do you believe me?"  
  
"Yes," she said simply and sincerely. She looked at Delemir and saw him trying to keep his eyes away from her. "Delemir." She lifted her other hand to his cheek and made him look at her. "I do believe you. I never lie unless it's very crucial. You can believe me, I swear my life on it."  
  
"I know," he said softly. He locked gazes with her finally and saw her feelings in her eyes. He saw compassion, sympathy, and caring there, and a number of other emotions as well, but ones he couldn't identify before she disguised them. He finally looked down at the table, saw their joined hands and the two glass figures there. "What are these?"  
  
"Ballerinas. It seems weird to call a guy a ballerina, but I don't know another word to call him."  
  
"What are ballerinas?" Delemir asked, lifting the girl.  
  
"Well, you have to understand the concept of ballet. It's a kind of dance, one that takes a lot of practice and work, but it's fun. Pointe does this to your feet, though," Lissa said, gesturing to her toes that she thrust out from under the table. They were blistered and scabbed, and looked like they were in sincere pain at that moment, but they weren't painful yet.  
  
"What in the name of Eru?" Delemir exclaimed, shocked.  
  
"Pointe is when you dance on the very tip of your feet. I'll show you. I think I have one of my older pair of Pointe shoes in here in the closet." Lissa stood and opened the closet door. She stood all the way in it, raising herself to the balls of her feet and reached up into the top of the closet. She stretched herself out fully, a long, thin line of slightly tan skin. She was still in her thin peach nightgown, but had her terry cloth robe on over it.  
  
When she finally went back down to her feet, she had pink shoes in her hand. She sat herself on the floor and slipped on foamy toe guards, then slipped on the shoes. She laced the pink ribbon up her calf until it reached her knee, then tied them at the crook of her knee.  
  
"Okay. I've been out of my class for two weeks for a break, so-"  
  
"Why a break?" Delemir interrupted.  
  
"Because I sprained my ankle. I was doing a performance and sprained my ankle, and finished the rest of the dance on flat."  
  
"What's flat?"  
  
"This." Lissa demonstrated by standing flat on the ground in her shoes when they were laced up fully. "This is Pointe." She slowly raised herself up to her toes and put her arms in front of her, curved and taut like a bowstring pulled out and ready to let go.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Lissa went back down to flat again then sat down, undoing her shoes. When she was done, she tied the laces together and tossed the shoes up in the closet again. She began to sit down again, but Delemir stood and took her hands in his.  
  
"Lissa," he said, suddenly breathless.  
  
Lissa looked up at his piercing blue eyes and felt her heart catch in her throat. The look he was giving her then was one that she would remember always. His blue eyes, still carrying a slight look that held the ice from earlier in them, watched her intently, every move she made. Every time she tried to remove her gaze from his, she felt like she was bound to him then and there in that way. If she tried to move her face away, his hand shot up to her chin and kept her gaze on his.  
  
"Delemir..." Lissa said quietly, lifting her hands to his chest.  
  
"Don't be afraid of me, Lissa. I know someone hurt you. I see it in your eyes whenever you look at me. I don't know who did, or how, but that person isn't me. Don't imagine them to be, Melissa," Delemir said passionately.  
  
"Delemir-" Lissa's voice caught in her throat and disabled her from speaking.  
  
As Lissa tried to find a reason why what he said wasn't true, she felt him lean forward and press his lips against her gently. He drew back quickly, as if testing for her reaction. He felt her hands begin to tremble against him. He lifted his own hands and took hers in his. He brought her left hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss against her palm.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.  
  
"F-for what?" she stammered.  
  
"For the hurt you still feel, since it still hurts you, that it did hurt you. I wish there was something I could do." Delemir rubbed his thumb over her knuckles carefully and felt a scar there. He made a note to himself that he'd ask about it later.  
  
"Oh, Delemir." That was all Lissa said before she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. She felt Delemir wrap his arms around her waist and hold her against him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: Okay. I don't own the gift shop under Freedom Park. I don't own the memorial to the journalists there. I own Connor because I made him up. I don't own Pointe or ballet, though I am in ballet. I'm not in Pointe yet, though hopefully, one day, I will. I don't own Pointe shoes, in this story or in reality. ;) Let's see, anything else is already understood. Oh, I do own the laptop that everyone uses because I wrote this story on it. I own the dream that Delemir had and had a fun time making it up since it's morbid. ;) Anyway, uhm, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and the next one is coming soon! By Christmas! 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
A/N: Hey. Something really quickly here you must know. Near the end of this chapter, I have both of my Emilys in here, so their spelling will tell them apart. 'Emilie' is the theatre Emilie. 'Emily' is the writer, of which I haven't quite made that point across. ;) But just to clear up the confusion there. Enjoy!  
  
Lissa sat, surprisingly quiet, in her kitchen with the phone against her ear. Occasionally nodding, she drew little pictures on a sheet of paper with a pencil. This is how Delemir found her. Everything was quiet besides the soft murmur on the other end of the phone and the gentle tumbling of a load of delicates in the washing machine. Delemir sat down quietly on the other side of the counter, of which Lissa called a "bar," and waited for her to hang up the phone.  
  
He needed to talk to her. He'd had to talk to her since the little issue they'd shared in his room.  
  
Turning his head, he saw Bennett sitting on the windowsill, staring out at snow falling furiously to the ground. It had been snowing for three days straight, and there was bound to be more than two feet of snow on the ground because of it. He looked up at Lissa and saw her quickly turn away from his direction. The silence around them was nearly deafening, Delemir thought as Lissa hung up the phone softly.  
  
"Yes?" she asked lightly.  
  
"I need to talk to you, Lissa. About the other day. I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but please, can we?" Delemir pleaded.  
  
Lissa cleared her throat then said, "Sure. Why not?" Her eyes took on a nervous amber color as she took a careful breath.  
  
As she rose, Delemir struggled for something to do to keep his eyes off of her; something to say to keep his mind off of her. He watched her, against his own will, go to a cupboard and pull out ingredients he knew were for hot chocolate.  
  
Since he hadn't said anything yet, Lissa asked, "Want some?" She help up the container of unsweetened cocoa that would be the key to the best hot chocolate she had ever tasted.  
  
"Sure," Delemir murmured. It was his turn to clear his throat uneasily. "Lissa. Like I said the other day. I know someone hurt you. I don't know whom. Please, Lissa, don't let that person come between us, or anything that may grow between us. You know that I would never do anything to hurt you."  
  
Lissa stopped pouring the sugar into the mugs and looked up at Delemir. "I won't beg your most sincere pardon after this because I don't want it. Anything that happened in my life is mine to live with, to worry about, and to deal with. I don't want or need any help," she said, her voice dropping an easy and cool fifteen degrees.  
  
"How long has it been?" Delemir asked, ignoring her previous statement. "How long has it been since he hurt you? How long have you lived with this on your mind, your conscious?"  
  
"It isn't any of your business." Lissa poured the hot milk into the mugs and stirred them. She poured vanilla into them and set a mug down in front of Delemir, sloshing the contents.  
  
"I'm going to make it my business." He ignored his drink and watched Lissa.  
  
"You have no right to know." Anger bubbled behind Lissa's eyes. Anger turned to fury when Delemir stood in front of her. Then fury turned to fear when he took her mug out of her hands and slammed it down onto the counter.  
  
"I have every right. I'm living with you until I figure out why I'm here. Everything that you do in this house is my business. Everything that goes on is my business, whether you wish it to be or not." Delemir's voice also dropped, but dropped an icy thirty degrees.  
  
Lissa muttered something incoherently and walked out of the kitchen. She brushed passed Connor, ignoring the look of puzzlement he sent her retreating form. Delemir stood there, mortified of what he had just done as Connor turned his gaze to stare piercingly at him. Seconds later, they heard a door slam and Lissa's Mustang rev up until it drove away.  
  
"What did you do?" Connor demanded, stepping forward quickly and violently. "What did you say to her?"  
  
Delemir remained silent. He stared down at his feet and acted as if no one else was there.  
  
"What did you do to her?" Connor asked again. "Tell me, or..." He stepped forward again, closer, and took a handful of Delemir's shirt. "Tell me or you life is treading on very thin ice."  
  
Bennett, now winding around their feet, shrieked loudly.  
  
"Be quiet, Bennett!" Connor shouted as the phone rang. He muttered an oath then turned to pick it up. "Hello?" he said angrily into the receiver. "Oh, sorry, Emily. You just missed her. She-Yes, I let her go out. There was nothing really that I could do to stop her because a certain someone else in this house ticked her off royal. No, I don't know what he did, but I'm working on it. No, I don't know where she went, either. What?"  
  
Connor sighed and checked the fridge. "There's nothing there. Gro-Grocery shop? Are you serious? In this weather?" he demanded. There was a loud yell from the other side of the phone and Connor pulled the phone away from his ear, then put it back. "It's five right now. I'll wait an hour, then see if she comes back home. Bye." He hung up the phone and let out a fearsome yell. He kicked the heater then turned on Delemir.  
  
"This is your fault!" he shouted.  
  
"My fault?" Delemir asked? "How is it my fault?"  
  
"You have obviously forgotten that moments before Lissa stormed out of here, you two had an argument of some kind. I don't know what about, but it was enough to make her leave her own house. How could you-" He broke off and made a distinct, angry noise in his throat. "How could you even think about upsetting her in this weather?" Connor demanded.  
  
Delemir looked at Connor straight in the eye as he said, "I didn't mean to upset her. I merely wanted to talk to her about a conversation we had the other day."  
  
"The heck you did," Connor muttered. "Look, I'm going to give her forty- five more minutes to come back, then I'm going out after her, and you are coming with me to apologize to her." And with that, Connor strode from the room and off to some other place in the house.  
  
Delemir sighed and sat down at the bar. He sipped the cooling drink solemnly and felt completely awful for what had gone on here.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Loud rock music blared through the speakers. The bass pounded loudly and rumbled the speakers as Lissa drove slowly through the falling snow. She sang brokenly with her music and turned a curve to go back to her house. Stopping at a red light, she reached up and swiped furiously at the tears that wouldn't stop falling. They hadn't stopped from the second she had sat in her car in the shop parking lot. Curse that Delemir, she said. Curse him twice.  
  
"All right, I'm moving, I'm moving, you moron," she muttered as a driver from a car near about sat on their horn. She pressed her hand to her horn as well and had the joy of hearing it blare as well. Feeling slightly content with that, she cruised her car through the intersection.  
  
The first thing she saw was the set the headlights coming from her left side. Then she heard the horn beeping to her left. Then she felt a hard collision that nearly blinded her in pain. She jumped to the other side of the car, best she could some how or other and then everything went black.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was six fifteen. Connor was sitting in the other guestroom down the hall watching his clock like a hawk. The phone had ringed twice, and it had been telemarketers both times. He felt like he was going to go mad. He was frantic.  
  
The phone rang a third time, and Connor answered it with a breathless, "Hello?"  
  
"Turn the TV on to channel five," Emily said, sounding shocked.  
  
"What?" Connor asked, reaching for the remote.  
  
"Just do it!" Emily said heatedly. "Then get ready to go out. Tell Delemir to get his boots on."  
  
"Okay, okay. Bye." He hung up the phone and changed the channel to five. "Oh, sweet holy Mary."  
  
On the TV screen were flashing lights, police and ambulance lights, and yellow tape to keep people out of the way. Then, to his horror, he saw a candy apple red Mustang, totaled on the driver's side. Connor paled to the color of a sheet.  
  
"This driver, identified as a children's author, wasn't so lucky when she was returning to her home in Crystal City from a grocery store," a reporter was saying. That was all Connor needed to know, wanted to know, as he jumped up, his shoes already on.  
  
"Delemir! Get your boots on!" he yelled quickly. He came across him, standing in shock in front of a TV in the dining room.  
  
"Oh, what in Elbereth's name?" Delemir murmured quietly. Luckily, his boots were on already as well.  
  
"Come on, Delemir," Connor said breathlessly and pulled keys from his pocket. He ran, with or without Delemir, to the front door and out to Lissa's other car as quickly as he could. Even as he was shutting the car door, Delemir was slipping into the vehicle as well. He cranked the engine up and gunned it in reverse. And off he drove to the hospital.  
  
"She wrecked her car," Connor said halfway through the drive.  
  
"I know." Delemir felt a tinge of guilt.  
  
"She totaled it. On her side."  
  
"I know." The guilt grew in his chest.  
  
"I should have stopped her!" Connor nearly shouted. He slammed the wheel with his fist and continued driving.  
  
Then they drove the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the hospital, Connor and Delemir jumped up out of the car and ran to the front desk.  
  
"We need to see Melissa Hogan," Connor said, out of breath.  
  
"I'm sorry. Are you immediate family?" the receptionist asked.  
  
"Close enough to it. Let me in, lady," he demanded. "What floor is she on?"  
  
"The television said that she would be put in ICU, whatever that is," Delemir murmured.  
  
"Never mind," Connor said and dashed off to the elevator. Delemir, flustered now, ran quickly after him.  
  
"Stop! You two are not allowed up there without proper clearance!" the receptionist shouted. Two security men stepped in front of Delemir and Connor, as if on cue, and stopped them.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you two are not allowed upstairs," one of them said.  
  
"Look, buddy, that girl means more to me than your salary in a year," Connor said. "She's-"  
  
"Our sister," Delemir put in. He looked up at the guards and put on his most convincing face.  
  
"I thought you told the receptionist at the front desk that she wasn't your sister," the other said.  
  
"What I meant," Connor said, "was that she's not my sister. Now, on the other hand, she's Delemir's sister. I just meant that I was practically her brother because we met in high school and were-"  
  
"Enough." The guards exchanged looks and sighed skeptically. "You are a very technical man. We will take you to see her, but a triage is checking her over to see how severe her injuries are."  
  
"Injuries?" Delemir choked out as they stepped onto the elevator and started to go to the third floor. "How bad?"  
  
"We aren't at liberty to tell you that. You can ask the triage about her injuries."  
  
The elevator stopped and Delemir rushed out, his blood pounding in his ears and his pulse jumping under his skin. As he stepped out, he saw Lissa lying down in a room across the hallway. She was being cleaned of all the blood, but still looked as if she had dipped herself in red food coloring and it had stained her skin slightly. Delemir's face drained of all color and his breath caught in his throat. He let out his breath, or what he could, in soft Elvish.  
  
"Delemir?" Connor came behind him and placed his hand on his shoulder. Delemir didn't say anything but rushed to the door.  
  
"I'm sorry, you can't go in there, sir," a nurse said, placing a hand on Delemir's shoulder.  
  
"Yes, I can," he said and stepped in. "Lissa!" He rushed over to her and took her hand. He was shocked when she didn't react. Her eyes were closed and what wasn't bloody of her face was pale. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
"She's unconscious, sir. You shouldn't be in here," the triage said.  
  
"I don't care. I have to be with her," Delemir said, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.  
  
"She'll be moved in just a few minutes down the hall when I'm done checking her injuries and she has an X-ray." The triage wiped blood from her forehead and brought out a new rag.  
  
"Delemir," Connor said and pulled him from the room. "The security guards told me what happened after some persuasion. Come with me." He pulled the Elf into a waiting room and they sat down on chairs by a window. "She was at the intersection and was distracted by another driver and the snow. A truck, a big one, hit her on her side of the car. When they pulled her out of the car, she was on the passenger's side, so obviously, she jumped from her side of the vehicle to the other side. It lessened her injuries, but not by much. They guessed her arm and leg are broken."  
  
"What....Is she going to be all right?" Delemir asked. He was wringing his fingers together in despair and anxiety.  
  
"Yes. Once she wakes up, she'll be in some pain, but not as much as she should be. Which is good," he added as Delemir began to speak again. "The less pain, the better. But they're going to take her to be X-rayed about now," Connor murmured as they wheeled the gurney with Lissa out on it down a hall.  
  
Delemir sighed and closed his eyes. He rubbed his temples and cursed himself. "It's my fault," he muttered.  
  
"What? How?" Connor had obviously forgotten the episode everyone had shared in the kitchen.  
  
"I upset her and caused her to leave. If she hadn't left, then none of this would have happened. It's my fault," Delemir repeated.  
  
"No, it isn't. It isn't your fault. She would have left anyway. In fact, she'd told me earlier today that she would be leaving sometime or other to go shopping," Connor muttered. He knew it was a lie, but he said it anyway to make him feel better.  
  
"It's still my fault," Delemir said and leaned back. Slowly, he drifted off to a catatonic state.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa slowly opened her eyes. She heard the soft beeping and whirring of machines around her. Panic immediately swarmed inside her as she realized she was in a hospital-and in a lot of pain. She found herself unable to voice this pain as she realized that something was closed over her hand like a vise. She turned her head to see Delemir, halfway asleep and halfway awake, her hand caught in his.  
  
"Delemir," she heard Connor say quietly. Immediately, Delemir's eyes cleared and he looked at Connor. When Connor gestured to Lissa, Delemir immediately brought his attention back to her.  
  
"Oh, Lissa, I'm so glad you're awake," he murmured and kissed the top of her hand. Turning her hand over, he kissed her palm and set her pulse soaring at her wrist and the machines beeping quicker. "I was so worried."  
  
"What happened?" Lissa asked quietly, squeezing Delemir's hand gently. She felt she needed to let him know she was real, and not a dream he was having. She looked at Connor upon a laugh from him. He had obviously figured out why the machines had beeped quicker. "Wait," she added. She tugged Delemir closer to her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad. Least of all at you. You were just trying to talk to me about something you wanted to help with and I just blew you off."  
  
Delemir looked at her in a type of shock that she had apologized when he should have. "No, Lissa. I should apologize for upsetting you. I was prying in a place I had no right to. You had ever right to be upset with me, and you still do," he amended.  
  
Lissa reached up and touched his cheek. "Don't argue with me, Delemir. Especially now that I'm-" She winced slightly "-in pain."  
  
"You are?" This was Connor. He turned from the window and was at her other side immediately. He took her hand in his and called a nurse in.  
  
"Oh, Connor. You're such a pushover. I was just-" She shifted this time "- using it as an example," she said humorously and smiled at him. "I'm fine, really."  
  
"No, you're not," he insisted, stroking her hair. "You're hurting. You're not supposed to."  
  
Lissa looked at Delemir uneasily and saw his eyes fixed on her still. "I'm fine. It's good I'm hurting. I'm human."  
  
Even as she spoke, a nurse entered with-oh my-a tray with needles. Lissa let go of Connor's hand as he rose, but squeezed Delemir's hand. And for the first time, she noticed she had an IV in the hand Connor had been holding. She nearly fainted as she felt the medicine, most likely morphine from the sight of the clear liquid, slipping into her vein.  
  
"What?" Delemir asked.  
  
"Nothing. I'm just really...skittish around needles," Lissa said. "I used to be able to take them when I was younger, but I just grew out of that and I don't like them anymore." Delemir rubbed her hand still and brought her palm to his lips.  
  
"How many times are you going to stick her?" Connor asked.  
  
"Oh, gee thanks, Connor, for that comforting thought," Lissa muttered, trying to set her pulse back to normal again.  
  
"Anytime, beautiful." He winked at her, just as the ring on his left ring finger winked in the dim hospital light, indicating his marriage.  
  
"Hmm, well, it all depends on if we find the correct vein on the first try," the nurse said.  
  
"You're from Ireland?" Lissa asked on impulse upon hearing the accent.  
  
"Aye, lass. I grew up there then moved here when I was twenty." The nurse smiled warmly and wiped her hands with a cloth that smelled like baby wipes.  
  
"I want to live there one day," Lissa said whimsically.  
  
"I supposed all people do for a time," the nurse said. "What I'm going to do, lass, is remove this IV needle, then I'm going to put another one in."  
  
Lissa's eyes widened upon that. She shuddered, then said, "Okay. Fine. Whatever you have to do, do it so I don't feel anything besides my head in the clouds."  
  
Connor laughed at her. "That'd take three bags of morphine!" he grinned at her.  
  
"Shut up. I didn't mean it that way, goofball. I just meant that I have a little buzz-Oh, my dear sweet Lord," she added as the nurse pulled the needle out.  
  
"What?" Delemir rubbed his thumb along her knuckles gently.  
  
"That hurt," Lissa hissed at him.  
  
"I'm afraid this is going to hurt ye worse, lass," the nurse said softly.  
  
"Oh, I bet," Lissa said and clenched her teeth together as the IV needle sank into her flesh. She uttered a lot of creative French words that no one, thankfully, understood. She closed her eyes and sighed as the pain dulled then subsided. "My Lord, that stings just a little bit." She was breathless as she spoke.  
  
"And lucky for ye that I only have to do that once. I hit the vein on the first try," the nurse said, smiling.  
  
"Yeah, I, ah, kind of felt that...Judy," she said upon seeing the nametag.  
  
"Anyway, as it goes, I'll be leaving ye until you need your next bag o' morphine," Judy said and left.  
  
Immediately after the door shut, Connor laughed and doubled over. Lissa shot him evil death glares that said to shut up of else she'd take the IV needle out of her arm and stick it in his flesh ruthlessly. He immediately shut up. Lissa smiled, then blinked in a dazed sort of way. Her eyes shut slowly as her grip on Delemir's hand loosened.  
  
"Lissa?" Delemir said, concern covering his voice.  
  
"She's fine, Delemir. The morphine is kicking in, that's all," Connor assured him. He laid his hand on Delemir's shoulder then sat down in a chair by the window.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa awoke in the early hours of the morning, when it was still dark. She looked out the hospital window and saw that is wasn't snowing anymore. Letting out a quiet sigh, she closed her eyes again and tried to turn on her side, but found herself restricted by the IV cord. She grumbled and lay on her back again.  
  
"Delemir," she said before she could stop herself. She knew that both men were asleep, and would be moved eventually because of the visiting hour time limit. She turned her head towards a corner and saw Delemir there. He was asleep with his eyes open. Creepy, she thought.  
  
"Delemir!" she hissed this time. He blinked and focused his gaze on her.  
  
"You're awake," he said quietly. He stood and walked quietly over to the side of the bed. He sat in a chair beside her.  
  
"Yeah. So are you," she whispered back. Reaching up, she took a handful of his shirt and brought him closer. She took a shuddered breath and let it out brokenly. "Never let me leave the house angry like that again, Delemir," Lissa demanded.  
  
"What? Lissa, I-"  
  
"Promise me."  
  
"Lissa-"  
  
"Say 'I promise,' Delemir."  
  
"I promise, Melissa," he told her quietly.  
  
"Now promise never to call me 'Melissa' again," she added with a wry grin on her face.  
  
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Connor said from his corner.  
  
Lissa immediately let go of Delemir's shirt and said, "Nope. Not a thing," with an innocent flare that hardly anyone would believe.  
  
"Sure. Do you hurt still?" he asked her.  
  
"Yeah-no," she amended quickly upon remembering the IV needles.  
  
"Which is it?" Connor grinned at her.  
  
"Neither." Lissa sent him a beaming smile. "Now, I want to get out of here. Wait a minute-" She looked down at her arm and saw it was a splint, and that her leg was in a splint as well. "There's something wrong with this picture." She gestured to her reason for being handicapped.  
  
"You're arm and leg are broken," Delemir said.  
  
"Duh, Blondie, I knew that. I felt that, for crying out loud!" Lissa said. "How bad?"  
  
"Your arm is broken in one place, and your leg in two." Connor let his gaze travel down to her leg in the splint then back to her face.  
  
"In half?!" Lissa shrieked.  
  
"No!" Connor said quickly. "Two places, Lissa."  
  
"Oh, good. Now, I want out of here!" she said again. "Now."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa sighed and looked longingly at her laptop, then down at the cast on her arm. She was pitiful. It'd been two and a half weeks since the accident, and her car, her "baby" was totaled. She'd cried a river when she heard that, and attempted to wring Connor's throat. In those past few days since she'd been released from the godforsaken hospital, Delemir had been at Lissa's side like a hound dog. Countless people had come to offer their condolences and bother her to high heaven. She hated it. She hated all of this, the pain, the restricted movements, and the attention.  
  
Standing, she grabbed her crutch and looked at the Christmas tree Connor had set up for her. She'd just finished decorating it and has broken three little globes, crushed countless lights with the cast on her leg, and had nearly knocked the tree over with her crutch. She needed a break. That was why she was headed for one of the upstairs rooms.  
  
It was snowing again, and snowing hard. It fit Lissa's mood.  
  
The weatherman predicted a bad blizzard. That fit her mood also.  
  
The room in which she was headed to was Delemir's. That didn't fit her mood.  
  
When she reached it, she looked inside. He was asleep. She had learned he was a light sleeper when he wanted to be. She prayed it wasn't one of those times.  
  
Going to the window, she opened it, and a blast of cold air hit her. It blew snow in around her that would later become a puddle on the floor. She ignored it and stepped out onto the roof carefully with a way that said she had done that often. She kicked a bit of snow away and sat down, refusing to shiver in the cold but felt her teeth beginning to chatter.  
  
Delemir, who had heard the window open but hadn't been able to respond to it for some reason, now sat up. He saw the snow blowing into his room and onto the floor. Some of it was melting, some of it was clinging to the curtains, and some of it was blowing across the room to the open door out to the hallway. Then he saw Lissa's hair blowing in the fierce wind and he ran towards the window. He looked out and sat her sitting there in a short- sleeved shirt and thin jeans. She was shaking like she was in an earthquake.  
  
Grabbing a jacket, Delemir stepped out onto the roof with her and wrapped the jacket around her shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her, as well. His fingers brushed her cold skin and tingles went up his spine.  
  
"Lissa, what are you doing?" he asked her over the snow blowing at them.  
  
"I-I don't know," Lissa admitted, shivering now. She nestled herself closer to Delemir and rested her cheek against his steadily beating heart.  
  
"Why are you out here? It's too cold for you to be outside right now. Come back inside," he said near her ear.  
  
"I can't. I can't take that anymore." Lissa allowed herself to moved closer to Delemir's warmth and told herself it was only because it was cold.  
  
"What? Why?" Delemir asked.  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"All right. But will you try to tell me later if you can?" he said near her ear still.  
  
Lissa hesitated for a moment. "Okay," she said finally and rested her cheek against his. "I will."  
  
Delemir held her closer to him and felt compelled to kiss her hair then. He did, and felt a strangely comfortable stirring of feelings in him, and that was when he knew he loved her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Merry Christmas!" someone said near Lissa's ear with a cheerfulness she despised. She opened her eyes and saw Emily there.  
  
"Yeah..." she muttered softly. She kicked her covers off, then shivered. Lissa stood, stretching, then pulled her robe on.  
  
"Well? I'm not the only person here, so don't keep us all waiting," Emily said and slipped her arm around Lissa's waist.  
  
"Oh, Lord, who else is here?" Lissa grumbled and put her arm around Emily's shoulder in a manner that was very familiar and usual for them that they'd had since Lissa was about thirteen.  
  
"The other Emilie, Connor and Delemir of course, Jenny, and Mischelle. No one else could make it," Emily said with a grin as they started from Lissa's room into the living room.  
  
"Good. I don't think I'm suited for more than that. I might feel compelled to murder-what time is it?" Lissa interrupted herself saying.  
  
"Eight."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hey, I've been up since six, Meliss, wrapping presents, so don't you go complaining!" the other Emilie shouted from beside the tree. She stood from her bent position and offered Lissa a smile.  
  
"Morning, beautiful," Connor said and shoved a cup of steaming coffee in her hands.  
  
"I love you," she said mock sincerely and smiled finally. "Thank you." She looked around and saw only both the Emilys, Mischelle, who was asleep again, Jenny, and Connor. "Where's Delemir?"  
  
"He's, ah, he's still in his room," Emilie said. "You want me to go get him?"  
  
"No," Lissa said quietly. "I'll get him." With that, she pulled from Emily's embrace, feeling every eye on her as she climbed the stairs. She ignored the feeling and slowly went to Delemir's room.  
  
There, she saw him standing at the window they'd sat outside of only five days ago. He was staring out at the fallen snow. He seemed to be deep in thought. Lissa slowly, awkwardly, walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Hey," she said softly. Delemir turned slowly and smiled at her.  
  
"Hello," he murmured softly as well. He reached up and took her hand in his. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm good. How about you?" she asked, hesitantly glancing at her hand in his as he brought it to his lips.  
  
"Perfect." He kissed her palm gently.  
  
"Good." Feeling as if it would be right, Lissa leaned forward and hugged him. "I never did thank you, yet. In five days, I haven't said thank you. I feel so bad," she said quietly.  
  
"For what?" Delemir wanted to know, slipping his arms around her waist.  
  
"For helping me the other day, for being there. I felt so bad then, and when you came out and just held me, I felt better," Lissa murmured. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome," he replied. He kissed her head and drew back. "Lissa, I- "  
  
"Hey, are you two coming down? I do want to get my hands on those presents before noon," Jenny said as she came upstairs. "Oh, am I interrupting anything?" She looked between the two and offered a smile.  
  
"No, not at all, Jenny. Let's go," Lissa said. She offered her hand to Delemir and they walked down the stairs together into the living room.  
  
It was Christmas morning. Lissa had six friends over who were as good as family. Some of them she'd known nearly all of her life, and some of them she'd known only a few years since she'd moved to Crystal City. All of them, from the moment they saw how Delemir was looking at Lissa when they walked into the living room, knew he loved her. All knew that, except for Lissa.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: Hey all! Okay. Merry Christmas!! Sorry this is a little late. Another chapter coming once I read it over. I hope you guys are enjoying this story because I'm having a heck of a time writing it. To answer any questions you guys might ask, yes, Emily and I do have little "schizophrenic" conversations occasionally, with those people. Just letting you know. And just letting you know, too, that I don't own Lord of the Rings, Christmas, or the rock music that Lissa played during this before her car accident. I don't own triages, X-rays, or anything else that has to do with hospitals, God forbid. I don't own Emily, Emilie, or Mischelle. I don't own Delemir, either, though I do love my Elf. I do own Connor, Jenny, Bennett, and Lissa, of course. I changed my last name in this for obvious reasons. Oh, and one last thing I feel like saying, is that the layout for Lissa's house in Crystal City is about the same as mine, and the room Delemir has is mine, and the room Lissa has is my parents. It is possible to go out on the roof outside of my room. It's very fun. Anyway, Merry Christmas! Happy New Year and I'll talk to y'all later!  
  
Blessed be, Lissa 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Laughter filled the large room as Christmas records played on an antique player in the corner. There was an unmistakable feeling of love in the air as a shrill squeal of laughter sounded by the Christmas tree. There were gifts everywhere, consisting of chocolate liquor bottles; regular chocolates; notebooks; little teddy bears; sweaters; books; and other things of the sort childish adults buy each other.  
  
Another squeal of laughter was heard as Lissa tackled Emilie and tried to take her new book back from her friend.  
  
"Give it back, or I'll..." Lissa let her playful threat hang in the air as she reached for the romance book given to her by Connor.  
  
"Or what?" Emilie squirmed and giggled, trying to get away.  
  
"Or this!" Lissa yelled and began to tickle Emilie's sides.  
  
Laughter erupted throughout the room as the two women fought for the upper hand in the tickle war. Mischelle joined in, ganging with Emilie and tackling Lissa, and Jenny ganged with Lissa and attempted to topple Mischelle over. Emily and the guys sat watching with amusement. It wasn't until Emily tore her gaze away from the quartet ticklers on the floor as Delemir stood up and walked to the kitchen.  
  
"Delemir?" Emily said as she caught up with him. "Why'd you leave?"  
  
"I love her," he said suddenly. It felt good, he thought, go have it really out in the open.  
  
"What? Who? Where'd that come from?" Emily wanted to know.  
  
"Lissa. I love her," he repeated.  
  
"Oh." Emily stared down at the bar, then went to the fridge and pulled a bottle of wine. She poured herself a glass, then one for Delemir. "Delemir, there are a few things about Melissa you need to know," she murmured, sitting down. The laughing had stopped only a moment before it started up again.  
  
"Like what?" Delemir asked, sipping his wine.  
  
"Well, I can't tell you everything because it's her business, but we'll just say she hasn't been on a real date with a guy since Thanksgiving and that hurt her a lot when everything ended." Emily watched Delemir as he met her gaze in slight shock.  
  
"What-Who is he? What is his name?" he asked.  
  
Emily thought a moment, then said, "His name is-"  
  
"Emily! Delemir! Where'd you two-Oh, you broke into my liquor supply," Lissa said upon entering the kitchen.  
  
"It was right in plain sight, love." Emily grinned in her familiar charming way. "It was right in front of me eyes," she added in a slight British accent.  
  
"Pirate. Good thing I hid me rum."  
  
"Rum?"  
  
"Mm-hmm." She sat down on Delemir's lap in a way that was familiar and usual to Emily and Lissa, and Lissa took satisfaction in the look over his face. "Old habit," she told him. "An old one I'm just remembering from nine years ago."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"And, if I remember correctly," Emily continued for Lissa, "we had Uremir here, but he was mooning over Lassewen, secretly I might add, Rio and Findel were fighting over something, and Arion was flirting with Bob." Both women took on strange looks on their face, then Emily grinned wryly. "Hey baby!"  
  
Lissa wrinkled her nose in distaste and said, "Hello, darling."  
  
"You called me 'darling!'" Emily brought her hand to her heart and gasped. "You DO love me!"  
  
"I do not, you pompous, arrogant-" Lissa stopped when Emily only grinned at her.  
  
"What game are you two playing?" Delemir asked.  
  
"Huh?" came Emily's blank reply.  
  
"Bob, dear, this is Lissa now. Arion has left my mind momentarily, and I suggest you leave Emily's for awhile too," Lissa said. "And that, Delemir, was an example of schizophrenia."  
  
"Was Bob just here?" Emily asked, looking at Lissa.  
  
"Yes, so was Arion." Lissa grinned and leaned back on Delemir's shoulder. "Another habit," she told Delemir.  
  
"Oh." Delemir turned his head slightly, and found Lissa's hair. He took in her scent and savored it. "Is this?" He slipped his arms around her waist and heard her giggle.  
  
"Yep, it is," Lissa said through her fit of laughter. She looked up at Emily and saw her smiling too. "If only Rio and Findel were here."  
  
"Yeah. Hey, speaking of which, how did Delemir get here?" Emily asked.  
  
Lissa cleared her throat and leaned forward, slipping off of Delemir's lap. "We, ah, we don't know yet. We're still trying to figure it out," she said quietly. She looked at Delemir and sighed. 'We need to get to that,' she thought.  
  
"Oh. I seemed to have hit a rough spot on the road, there," Emily said, standing. "Hey, where's that rum? We were talking about pirates earlier, weren't we?"  
  
"Yes, you were," Connor said and walked to Emily. He tugged a lock of her boy-short hair.  
  
Emily muttered an oath at him and the other Emilie came in. "Watch your mouth, please," she said and laid her hand on Lissa's shoulder. "What'd I miss?"  
  
"Mmm, not much. Only a schizophrenic conversation between Bob and Arion," Lissa said, taking Delemir's wine and sipping it. She set it in front of him again with a grin on her face. "Oh, and I didn't see them go at their eternal war of name calling and flirting?" Emilie asked, poking out her bottom lip in a pout.  
  
"Didn't see what?" Mischelle asked as she and Jenny came in.  
  
"Schizo conversation," Lissa said once again. "Too many people." She shuddered and sat on Delemir's leg again. Suddenly, her eyes gleamed in their unmistakable way saying she had a mischievous idea.  
  
"What?" Emily asked.  
  
"Where's my super glue?" Lissa wanted to know. She grinned wryly and touched her ears. "Delemir, you're not the only one-" She suddenly cut herself off and glanced at Mischelle, Jenny, and Connor. "Who can glue their ears," she amended. She eyed him for a moment, then whispered, "Just play along and don't say anything weird."  
  
"Here you go, Lissa," Mischelle said and handed her a little tube of super glue. "And some clips."  
  
"Easy on the stuff, darling," Lissa said when Mischelle dropped the items on the countertop with a clatter. Lissa smiled charmingly as she picked them up, though, and stood. She walked to the mirror in a way that was familiar to everyone but Delemir.  
  
"Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow," Emily murmured upon a spur of the moment memory Lissa's phrase had triggered.  
  
"You will always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow," Emilie added with a grin.  
  
"You stole my boat!" Lissa said, catching on.  
  
"Borrowed! Borrowed without permission and every intention of giving it back to you!" Emily said.  
  
"But you didn't!" Lissa hissed, pushing her hair behind her ear and rubbing glue on.  
  
"You'll get another one!" Emily exclaimed.  
  
"I will," Lissa hissed after a moment.  
  
"A better one," Emilie put in.  
  
"A better one!" Emily agreed.  
  
"That one!" Emilie cried.  
  
"What one?" Emily asked.  
  
Emilie jerked her head towards the window and blinked blandly.  
  
"That one?" Emily looked out the window at the newly falling snow with in a peculiar manner. Emilie nodded. Then Emily smiled and said, "Aye, that one! What say you?"  
  
"Aye!" everyone but Delemir shouted.  
  
Lissa turned, her hair clipped behind her ears and smiled. Her ears were pointed like an Elf's. She'd known how to do that since she was twelve and she was going to an All Hallows Eve party at her church. Her father had bobbed her ears together then, amending that for tape and make-up.  
  
Delemir looked at Lissa in awe. She was letting her hair loose from its confines behind her now pointed ears and it cascaded down over her shoulders. The tips of her ears poked through her hair, and she was smiling happily. Then, her happy grin turned to wry amusement as she found his gaze set on her.  
  
"May I introduce," Emilie said in her stage voice, "Lady Melissa, the only female Elf of Crystal City." Everyone laughed as she dipped in a low, awkward curtsy. Then, she laughed richly.  
  
After a short time in the kitchen, Lissa and Emilie had occupied themselves in the kitchen by fixing eggnog with nutmeg on the top of it. They were both laughing about one thing or other when they brought the trays of drinks out to everyone else.  
  
"Melissa, love, how many times did you have to refill the glasses in there before you and Emilie came out?" Connor asked.  
  
Lissa looked up from putting a glass in front of Mischelle and beamed at him. "Once. And that was the first time I put any eggnog in them. I rinsed them out because you played the Cup Game with my eggnog glasses last night," she said blandly, resuming her task.  
  
"Oh, yeah," he said reminiscently. "I remember now."  
  
"Duh, genius," Emily said, grinning. "Hey, can we play that later?" She looked at Lissa with hope in her eyes.  
  
"What? The Cup Game?" Emily nodded at Lissa's question. "Sure. We'll have to teach Delemir, though," she said, taking her place beside him at her table.  
  
Mischelle gasped. "You don't know how to play the Cup Game?" she exclaimed.  
  
"No," Delemir said solemnly.  
  
"Blasphemy!" she yelled, pointing at him.  
  
"Be quiet, Chelly. You couldn't play until Emily and I taught you at my birthday once upon a time," Lissa said.  
  
"I still want to see those pictures," Emilie murmured then sipped her drink.  
  
"They're in my room, and I look like a little whelp. No," Lissa said simply. "I refuse to let anyone see me in that costume my mom and I made once upon a time. I doubt it fits anymore."  
  
"Why? You haven't grown much between then," Connor murmured and dodged a little plastic snowman aimed at his head from the table.  
  
"Yeah, so I supposed I'm going to be short all my life?" she murmured.  
  
"No," Emily said, setting her glass down. "I'm going to be short my entire life."  
  
Everyone laughed and looked down at Emily, who was about six or more inches shorter than most of them, especially the two guys.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa sighed as she fell down on her couch. It was pulled out in a bed right now, since both of the Emilys had stayed over Christmas night. It was about noon, and they had just left. She was exhausted. And a bit hung over from the eggnog and wine the previous day. When she heard Delemir coming down the stairs with Connor, she sat up. She decided she had to tell Connor about Delemir and what he was. But she'd clear it with Delemir, first.  
  
"Delemir," she said when he reached the living room. She was still sprawled out on the bed, but was making an effort to move up from it. Delemir offered his hand to help her, and she gratefully took it. "Thanks. I need to talk with you. In the kitchen."  
  
"All right," he said and walked after her when she took off towards the kitchen. She sat down and he sat down across from her.  
  
"Okay, something Emily said yesterday got me thinking. She knows about you and being an Elf, if you haven't gathered that," she began, "and we need to work on figuring out why you're here. We can't just let you sit here and not know why you're living in my house. We can't just-"  
  
"Lissa. Calm down. I was talking to Connor upstairs, about my dream, and I told him that I'm an Elf. He is still a little skeptical, but we can let it set for a while. But in the meantime, what did you have in mind for figuring out why I am here?" he asked her.  
  
"You told him? Okay. Good. Let's see...I still need to have a look at your drea-" She stopped when he handed her a copy of it. It was in a handwriting she didn't recognize, so she assumed it was his. She didn't think a guy could have such good handwriting. Skimming over the paper, Lissa was entranced by the description and how vivid it was. She could almost feel everything. "Wow. Even reading it has the same affect as it did when you told me," she said and set it down on the bar.  
  
"What affect is that?" Delemir asked her, laying his hand over hers.  
  
"Astonishment, shock at it's vividness, a feeling of déjà vu that I've had this dream before, or something like it," she murmured, looking down at their joined hands.  
  
"Have you?" Delemir kept his gaze set on her face, which had a frown on it.  
  
"I might have. You'd have to ask Connor. He keeps a record of my dreams. He's the analyst," Lissa said quietly. She finally looked up and saw Delemir's gaze on her face. "What? What are you staring at?"  
  
"You." His answer was simple. And, Lissa found quite disconcerting, sincere.  
  
"It's-" She cleared her throat. "It's rude to stare," she said when she was able to speak again.  
  
"So? You stared at me when I first arrived here, I'm only returning the favor," he said, but he broke his gaze away, and the physical contact they shared. "What was your idea about figuring everything out?"  
  
"Huh? Oh," she murmured, feeling slightly stupid. "Well, any dreams you have should be written down as soon as you wake up from them and have all your thoughts of it in the correct place. Then, you should tell either Connor or myself. Then, hopefully, any dreams you have will help us unlock the meaning of them all."  
  
"All right," he said shortly. "Is that all?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Hey, I'm going to go for a walk, do you want to come with me?" she asked, standing. She had her boots on, and was reaching for her jacket by the hooks on the wall near the stove.  
  
"Can I...what's that word for another day?" he said, mild irritation aimed at himself.  
  
"Rain check?" Lissa amended quietly.  
  
"Yes. Can I take a rain check for another day? I was going to do some thinking," he said, standing as well.  
  
"Sure." Lissa cursed herself silently for the hurt she felt right then. "I guess I'll, ah, see you when I get in, then? Tell Connor I went to the park to think as well."  
  
"Of course." Delemir stepped behind her and helped her on with her coat. When she had fastened it, she smiled at him.  
  
"Thanks. I'll see you later," she said and leaned up on her toes. She kissed his cheek gently and began to walk out of the kitchen. "Bye," she called over her shoulder again. When she walked through the living room, Connor was gone already. She assumed he was in his room again, working on this or that. She grinned and stepped out into the crisp, winter air. It would be New Years in a few days, she thought with a grin and stepped off of her porch and off towards the park. And she would be ready with her New Years resolution to figure out what had put Delemir there in her world, and to figure out her feelings. She began to mentally tick off things on a little list for what she would vow to do next year.  
  
Get rid of Connor, she thought with a sly smile that crept over her features involuntarily. Commit more time to family and friends, rather than sit there and work on my stories; improve my artwork so maybe I can do my own illustrations. She laughed at herself then as the park came into view. Figure out why I feel so at home around this area and nowhere else, she added when she rounded the gate.  
  
Cleaning off one of the seats on a swing, she sat and leaned forward and backward, rocking gently. She sighed, content to live there forever if she never needed to eat, drink, or sleep again. Then, an idea hit her for a child's faerie tale. She took mental notes on it.  
  
A princess one day stumbles upon an enchanted forest. There was a spell there, which whoever stepped into the enchantment would be bound to live there forever until someone rescued them. She would be there for a few hours before trying to leave and realizing the spell cast upon her. She's stuck there for hundreds of years until a young prince comes along. He saw her there, sitting on a swing she had built on a low tree branch. He falls in love with her in an instant, and tries to go to her. She stops him and explains the curse and the only way to break it is true loves first kiss. The rest is self explanatory, Lissa thought with a grin. They live happily ever after.  
  
"Hello, little girl," a familiar voice said from behind her.  
  
"Hello," she replied, staying her seat.  
  
"Do your parents know you're outside by yourself?" the man asked her. Lissa stood and turned around to face the rugged man. "You're not a little girl. You're a beautiful, grown-up woman."  
  
"Yes, I am. Hello, daddy," she said and fell into her father's embrace. "Where's Mama?" She drew away from her father and rounded the swing, slipping her arm through his.  
  
"In the car right there." He pointed to the blue Pontiac Fiero. "I stopped by your house first, and there's two men there," he added sternly.  
  
"You remembered Connor, right?" she asked sheepishly.  
  
"Yes. But I didn't remember the other guy," her father said. "Who is he?"  
  
"Someone I met at the beginning of the month. His name is Del," she said quietly. She wasn't really lying. His nickname was Del, she remembered. "I met him by the house. He might be moving here, and needed a place to stay in the meantime and I offered my home to him."  
  
"You have too much Irish in you," he informed her.  
  
"I know. Are you two staying?" Lissa asked, veering away from the subject of the two men in her house.  
  
"No. We just figured we'd come see you for a few hours. But it seems you have enough company," he murmured. "Come say hello to your mother before we head to see your brother further up north."  
  
Her mother was already out, leaning on the hood of the car. The, oh, so familiar smile on her face warmed Lissa's heart as she embraced her mother.  
  
"How're you, sweetie?" her mother asked, sitting back against the car.  
  
"Charlene, don't scratch my car," Lissa's dad said.  
  
"I'm not, Kenny. Get back in and heat it up," Charlene said in a way wives could. "Who were those two men at your house, Melissa?" That was a voice Lissa knew all too well that only mothers could make. Lissa's dad cranked the car up now, and the engine revved maliciously.  
  
"Friends. Connor and Del. Dad will tell you about Del, and hopefully you remember Connor. I met him in high school," Lissa murmured.  
  
"Yes, I remember him. I always remember your friends," Charlene said.  
  
"No, you don't. You didn't remember a lot of them for a while," Lissa said with a wry grin that she'd always had, even in her youth.  
  
"That was when you first met them, smart butt. We'll be stopping by on our way back, if that's all right with you," her mother said.  
  
"Sure. How's the B&B?" Lissa asked, knowing that they were almost ready to go.  
  
"Good."  
  
After a quick explanation of why she was still in a cast, and swift goodbyes a few minutes later, Lissa watched her parents drive off to go and visit her brother in New York. She figured her sister was staying with friends while her parents were gone. Sighing out a breath in the cold, she warmed her arms and started back to the house again.  
  
When she reached it, she smiled at its familiarity that she'd known since she was twenty. She stepped inside and heard some type of music from Connor's room, and the quiet breathing of someone asleep. Lissa walked into the living room and saw Delemir asleep on the couchbed. She smiled and turned on her radio. John Denver slipped easily through the speakers, and she turned the volume down lower.  
  
In a manner that was familiar to only her and no one else, she began to pick up the things on the floor. She sighed quietly, still content, and picked up the wrapping paper the little cleaning elves had missed the previous morning. She laughed at herself and went to her desk when she finished cleaning that area. Before she could keep herself from it, she looked at Delemir and felt a wave of emotions go through her. She got a warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach that both soothed her and unnerved her.  
  
Sighing and trying to push those thoughts away, she turned the TV on and muted it, then began to write down that idea she'd had at the park earlier. Soon, she zoned out in writing the story and was completely unaware of everything around her, only the things in her mind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa sighed dramatically as the song on her radio changed. It was about three hours later, and John Denver was playing again. When she zoned in, that song after Sunshine on My Shoulders was playing. The song that was one of those, she remembered from telling her mother one day, a boo-hooey song you would listen to while thinking of the person you loved while an old movie flickered on the screen of your TV. The song that, she remembered distinctly, would make her cry if she let herself become that involved in it. The song that would forever have her heart.  
  
Near laughing at her irony, she looked up and saw an old movie flickering on her TV that had been on mute for the past three hours. It was strange, she thought, that part of her fantasy was coming true. Now, if only she was thinking of the man she loved.  
  
She smiled as Delemir drifted into her mind automatically. He lay asleep on the couch-bed in front of her still, his hand draped over his chest and a blanket at his waist. He was sprawled-romantically was the word that popped into Lissa's mind then-in the middle of the bed. He had learned to sleep with his eyes closed, finally.  
  
Did she love him? Did she love an Elf of Lothlórien, a place that was neither here, nor there, but in his mind? In another realm no one had ever traveled to before? What did she feel for him? She couldn't tell herself the truth, nor did she want to at that moment in time. She just wanted to savor the moment.  
  
Lissa stood up slowly from her desk and walked over to the other couch. She grabbed the hem of the blanket, her finger just brushing Delemir's bare flesh between the blanket and his shirt, and began to draw it upward to his chin. Then his arm reached out, in dead sleep, and snaked around her waist, pulling Lissa down onto the bed with him. He pulled her close, her back against his chest. So close she could feel his heart beating steadily.  
  
Struggling for only a moment, she stopped suddenly and melted against him in a way as old as time itself. She didn't know why she was doing this, what compelled her to, but she wanted to and did. She didn't know why she felt this sudden intimacy with Delemir, one that had never been there before, but she did. It was a good feeling, she thought, that one could be so comfortable around another. So you didn't have to worry about what you said or did, about what you didn't say or do.  
  
Another sigh and Lissa closed her eyes, going completely lax in Delemir's loose grasp around her waist.  
  
He didn't know what was happening or why he felt Lissa against him. He didn't know why he felt so content with her there, his arms wrapped around her gently. All Delemir knew was that he was enjoying the moment while he still could. He leaned forward and took in the soft scent of Lissa's hair, the feminine fragrance only she seemed to possess. Her scent was like a drug, almost, causing Delemir's head to spin. But in a good way. He was perfectly happy to lay there with her, feeling as he was, thinking as he was.  
  
He tightened his arm around her waist and felt her muscles become taut, but then relax again when he buried his face against the long fall of hair in front of him. He heard her murmur something quietly, as if in sleep. He wondered what she had said, but soon found he couldn't when he felt her shift slightly in his arms. How she brushed against him was a so natural, yet was hard to conquer and be able to have. Yet this came in an easy manner that was thoughtless.  
  
Delemir rested his cheek on Lissa's hair and sighed quietly. He felt her hands go around his at her waist. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles gently and traced lazy patterns on the top of her hand. All of this seemed so natural, so right. All of this seemed so right that they were thinking the very same thing at the very same moment.  
  
"You're awake." Lissa said it more as a statement than a question. She was staring at the television without actually seeing it. Her vision had long ago clouded into stars and black puffs of "clouds" in front of her.  
  
"Yes." Delemir's breath was warm and sweet as it brushed against her ear. His lips were soft and gentle against the curve of her neck, on the sensitive skin just under her ear lobe. His grasp was easy around her waist as he squeezed her middle slightly.  
  
"I thought you were asleep," Lissa murmured quietly, fighting back the moan caught in her throat. His touch was making her crazy. He was so gentle, so kind, that he gave her more than he took from her.  
  
"I was." He kissed her nape, oh, so gently that it was hardly a feeling, yet it sent tingles down Lissa's spine. "I was until an angel laid down with me."  
  
Lissa smiled and thought of correcting him, but thought better of it. "I would have been asleep at that desk over there had I not heard this song." She gestured to her radio. "I'm in love with it."  
  
And what of me? Delemir thought to himself. He shook the thought away, feeling foolish, and listened. He could see why she enjoyed the song so. The words were full of emotion and feeling that seemed so impossible to merely say.  
  
"It makes me cry sometimes," she said quietly. "It nearly did the first time I took the time to listen to it."  
  
"When was that?" Delemir spoke as softly as she. He felt a mood there, an atmosphere that would better off be left alone and dealt with later. For now, he would go with the strongest flow there was at that moment.  
  
"When I was thirteen. It was the day before Thanksgiving-wow, a little more than eight years-when my mom and I were in the kitchen. It came on and I said-" She laughed quietly. "I said that this was a song you would listen to and just lay somewhere, an old movie flickering on the screen, and think of the person you love."  
  
"Lissa?"  
  
"Hmm?" She cuddled closer discretely and sighed.  
  
"Is that an old movie flickering on the screen?" Delemir asked, inclining his head to the television.  
  
Lissa blinked twice to clear her vision then waited a moment before recollection came to her. "Yes. It's called 'It's a Wonderful Life.'"  
  
Then she felt him shifting positions rapidly, yet with as much ease as one would in a ballet dance. Lissa was suddenly on her back and Delemir was nearly laying over her. Their eyes met, locked, for a moment before Delemir's lips were on hers. He was gentle, careful of his actions and what he did. Careful of what he thought. And much more careful of what he murmured sweetly and softly to her as his lips blazed a trail over her skin, feather-light.  
  
"Delemir." Her voice was more of a gasp as Lissa tried to regain a little sanity, a little practicality. She couldn't help it as her blood ran hot in her veins and pounded in her ears. She couldn't help it as she felt color seep into her cheeks quickly. She couldn't help it if she loved him.  
  
She reached out and framed his face in her hands, suddenly trembling from the realization of her feelings. She had to stop, had to stop him and had to get away. He stopped when she told him to silently. She slipped away from him and disappeared into her room in the back of the house.  
  
Delemir sighed as he heard her door shut. Then he heard the familiar clicking of keys on a computer, then heard the rapid fire of computer shooting. She was angry. Why? he wanted to know. Why was she angry? Who was she angry at? Was she angry with him? With herself? Who?  
  
He sighed and stood up, thinking of the way she had gone pliant in his arms. Had that only been a dream and he was only now waking up? Was all of this a dream that was so real that he felt everything in it? If it was, when would he wake up? Why hadn't he woken up already?  
  
No, he thought, it isn't a dream. He didn't know why, but it just wasn't a dream. All of it was too believable.  
  
A shrill ringing from the phone drew him from his thoughts. He heard Lissa's faint reply, then the swift slam of the phone returning to its cradle. He wondered why Lissa was so furious. Sighing, he began to walk to her room, then stopped in his tracks right before he knocked on the door. He remembered something-a dream from his sleep.  
  
"Lissa!" he cried loudly, bursting in her room. She was lying on her bed now, reading a book. She looked up with an amused light in her eyes.  
  
"Yes?" she inquired, immediately dousing the light in her eyes and replacing it with anger.  
  
"I remember something, a dream that I had earlier!" he exclaimed happily, sitting on her bed and folding his knees under him.  
  
"Well?" Lissa's features changed from one to the other so quickly; Delemir could hardly process what she was feeling then. When she stared at him blandly, he thought he saw a trace of reluctance to hear.  
  
"I remember that I was sailing through the air freely. The wind was rushing towards me and blowing my hair back away from my face. Then, I landed on the ground suddenly. I stood up and saw something that I knew my heart had always longed for." He paused for a moment. "I saw myself with a family. We were in my home, enjoying a meal over the New Year. I had a wife, sitting at my side, and we spoke with our children of fanciful things that we all wished to do. And, it was strange..." he trailed off.  
  
"What was?" Lissa asked after a moment, the intrigue growing.  
  
Before Delemir could answer, a deep, gruff voice said, "What're ye doing, ye scabbard's dogs?" from the doorway.  
  
Lissa looked up and laughed. "Hold that thought, Delemir," she told him and ran over to the door. Delemir saw her swing her arms around a tall, dark man and he swung her around. "What're you doing here, ye old pirate?" she exclaimed.  
  
"I couldn't wait to see me favorite girl!" the man exclaimed. He set Lissa down and ruffled her hair. "How've ye been doing, aye?"  
  
"I'm fine." Lissa rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. "You need a shave, Ben," she added, patting the spot she had kissed.  
  
"And ye be needing a haircut. Women shouldn't have such long hair. It's easy to pull. See?" He demonstrated by tugging a lock of it. She laughed and hugged him again.  
  
"Lissa?" Delemir asked, standing.  
  
"Oh, it seems I might've interrupted something here," Ben said. He slung his arm around Lissa's shoulders and thrust out it his other hand. "Me name's Ben. And you'd be?"  
  
"Delemir," he answered, shaking Ben's hand warily. "You're a pirate?" He had a faint memory of seeing Lissa watching a movie with pirates on it the other night.  
  
"Ye could say that." Ben rubbed the stubble on his chin with a good deal of thought. "I own a ship that's in the bay right now. I should take ye two for a ride soon." His gaze swept of Lissa finally and noticed the cast still on her arm and leg. "What on earth happened to ye, Lissa?" he asked.  
  
"Car accident. Totaled my Mustang," she said woefully and wiped an imaginary tear from her cheek. "It's in a junkyard right now, but I'm getting some cash from the parts."  
  
"Ah!" Ben embraced her once more and let out a pirate-like growl. "Always knew ye had some of me pirate in ye! Any payments for anything yet?"  
  
"No. But I'm expecting about twenty-five dollars by next week, or before, then I'll be sending off the gauge thingy. You know that thing that has the gas and oil gauges on it?" she added at Ben's blank expression. "Yeah, that thing."  
  
Ben nodded and threw his head back, laughing. "Ye always were a bright star with cars," he joked sarcastically. "Could hardly tell this from that."  
  
"I could change the oil, which was good enough for-Hey, Connor," she said as he entered her room. "Wow, family gathering."  
  
"Howdy, Ben," Connor said. "How're you?"  
  
The two exchanged the type of hugs that only men could comprehend the correct meaning of as Ben said, "I'm fine, and yourself, Con?"  
  
"Same here as it always goes," Connor said with a shrug.  
  
As those two men exchanged this and that about what had gone in since they'd last seen each other, Lissa walked over to Delemir and, his phrase before Ben arrived completely forgotten, slipped her arm at his waist. Unconsciously, she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.  
  
"So, you're friends with a pirate?" he asked her.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Ben's great. Pirate, sort of as he is, he's also a good man. Can't help but love him," she said wistfully. "I've known him for a year now, but it seems like I have forever."  
  
Delemir made a quiet noise of acknowledgement as he saw the sun setting, that dream still in his mind. He remembered it as if it had happened, but he knew he hadn't had a family in Lothlórien. He had had many chances, but had taken a battle warrior as a choice instead. He had always been like that. It had been his country first, and his life second. It had always been like that, he thought quietly. But not anymore.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me. Gee, how specific? AKA, Lord of the Rings, of which my entire story is sort of based on, any lines or anything from Pirates of the Caribbean. I own Lissa, Connor, Jenny, and Ben. I own the dream that Delemir had, and you'll find out what he meant by saying something was strange. I don't own Mustangs, but I do have a GT Concept! Whoo! Actually, it's a remote control car. I wish it were real. I'm gonna go play with it later :D Wow, this is a short note, hehe. Next chapter is New Years, lol. I'll talk to y'all then!  
  
Blessed be, Lissa 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
"Are you sure you are allowed to do this?"  
  
"Yes, positive."  
  
"That doesn't sound too reassuring."  
  
Lissa sighed and turned around, her dark hair bound in a braid turning from one shoulder to the other. "Delemir, trust me," she told him, raising an eyebrow at him. She grinned then, wryly, and began to climb up a tree with ease that most women (or she-Elves) Delemir had known would have been disgusted at. When she reached the top, Lissa looked down at Delemir, who was still staring up at her. "You coming?"  
  
"Yes," he said and began to climb up.  
  
"You look good in black," Lissa said absently and jumped onto the roof. "Makes me wonder why you aren't completely clad in black." She glanced at the green shirt he was wearing.  
  
"Because there wasn't a black shirt in my closet, or Connor's," he said, grunting slightly as he reached the top.  
  
"Oh. Now just jump over here and-"  
  
"I know how to climb onto a roof from a tree, Lissa. I've done it before," Delemir said with a bit of his Elf-like arrogance. Of which Lissa was completely in love with.  
  
"Okay, okay. Don't get your trousers in a bunch," she said. "Come on, we have fifteen minutes before we-"  
  
"Shh!" Delemir hissed as he jumped behind her and pulled her behind the arch on the flat part of the roof as a car drove by. Out of completely coincidence, Delemir just happened to land on top of her. She quickly slid from under him, remembering what had happened the last time four days ago.  
  
She cleared her throat and murmured something about "blasted cars" and continued down towards window at the edge of the house. She stopped, turned and hissed something at Delemir. "Are you coming?"  
  
"Yes," he murmured back and walked towards her again. When he reached her, she was staring over the edge of the roof at the ground three stories down. "Are you all right?" He laid his hand on her shoulder. She jolted under his touch, then calmed herself.  
  
"Yeah, just peachy," she murmured, tearing her gaze away from the ground to Delemir.  
  
"What is it?" he asked again, sensing her unease and discomfort.  
  
"I hate heights. I love being high above things, but I hate heights for some reason," Lissa murmured.  
  
"It makes no sense," Delemir told her, reaching his hand to toy with the ends of her hair.  
  
"Hon, my life makes no sense," she said and brushed his hand away. She sighed heavily. "Hold onto my feet." She knelt down and fell flat on her stomach. When she felt Delemir's grasp on her ankles, she pushed herself forward and reached the window. It felt good to have her limbs back. She'd had her casts removed two days ago, and her arm and leg had felt like as feathers. She grinned as she pulled and tugged at the wooden frame of the window until it gave way and opened, knowing it was unlocked. "Pull me up," she said, her voice strained and forced. "I can't breathe right anymore. Too much blood in my head."  
  
When Delemir pulled her up, her face was red as a beet. He touched her cheek and felt it turn warm under his touch. Then, a snowflake fell onto her nose, then her other cheek, and in her hair. He felt compelled to lean forward and kiss the snowflake on her nose away. But he resisted, knowing that it would cause problems at this moment.  
  
"Great," she mumbled, shivering. "Well, at least it's winter right now. If it was summer, then it'd be raining." Her voice was overflowing with sarcastic enthusiasm as she shifted backwards and slipped down until she was hanging by her hands.  
  
She rocked and swayed until she felt her feet slip into the room. Then she let herself slip all the way into the attic of the house and called Delemir down.  
  
"Just do the same thing I did," she said. "Sway until you're in." Within thirty seconds, he was standing beside her, looking around.  
  
"Are you absolutely positive that we will not find ourselves in trouble doing this?" he asked her, brushing a cobweb from Lissa's hair.  
  
"Yes, and yes again because I know you're going to ask if I know what I'm doing. I do know what I'm doing. I've been up here a million times and know how to undo the lock from the inside-silently-and get to her room. It'll be a great New Years gift," she added with a wry laugh.  
  
"Oh, dear," Delemir murmured.  
  
"Hey, you picked up one of my phrases. We have eight minutes," Lissa informed him and walked to the attic door. She pulled out a credit card from her pocket and slipped it into the door. In a short amount of time, it was unlocked and she was strolling down the stairs like she owned the place, of which Delemir was completely sure she thought she did. "Quicker," she hissed when he fell behind.  
  
When she reached a door with signs on it, she quietly took a breath and grinned. "This is it," she whispered. "You have everything?" Delemir held up a small canvas bag. "Good. Let's go." And they walked into the room as quiet as mice lurking in a kitchen for cheese or fruit.  
  
When Lissa reached the side of the bed where a small form of a body was, she took the bag from Delemir and drew out one of the contents. She looked down at the small popper and took it firmly in both hands. She looked at her watch, saw it was fifteen more seconds, then looked at Delemir. She nodded and grasped the popped carefully in her hands.  
  
"Now," she hissed as her watch beeped and pulled the string on the popper. A loud POP sounded and confetti flew everywhere.  
  
Emily flew upright in her bed and let out a ruthless oath, then she spotted Delemir and Lissa, leaning against each other, laughing like hyenas.  
  
"You bloody retards!" she shrieked at them and lunged at Lissa. She grabbed her arm and pinned her to the ground. She pulled Lissa's arm behind her back and heard her laugh and shriek at the same time.  
  
"Happy New Year!" she finally managed and flipped Emily off of her and onto the floor. She laughed, still, and rolled onto her back. She propped herself on her elbows and watched Emily shake with laughter.  
  
"Happy New Year, yourself. Now you've got to pay for waking me up, and you'll pay dearly," Emily said and sat up. "Once I find my breath."  
  
"Breathe," Delemir told them both. "I don't need you two passing out or hyperventilating." He sat down on the floor and grinned. "I want you to know, Emily, that this was completely Lissa's idea."  
  
"With pride," Lissa said breathlessly, falling onto her back again.  
  
"That's why I'm going to murder her instead of you, Delemir." Emily let out a half laugh.  
  
"Distract her while I make a swift get away. Tell her about your dream you had the other night," Lissa murmured.  
  
"Oh?" Emily lifted herself up, brought her knees to her chest, then rested her chin on the top of her knees. "Do tell?"  
  
Delemir sighed and went off on the full scale of his second dream about his having a family and living in his home. He also mentioned that his home didn't look like the one he had lived in during his time in Lothlórien. He said, "It looked like Lissa's house."  
  
"Hey!" She smacked his head. She was now sitting up beside him. "You didn't tell me that the other day!"  
  
"Ben came in," he said simply, rubbing his head.  
  
"Ben? Ben's here?" Emily exclaimed. She turned a faint shade of red, but quickly the color quickly subsided to her usual ivory skin.  
  
"Yeah. Anyway, Delemir. The home in your dream looked, strangely, like mine. What after that?" Lissa asked, leaning backwards.  
  
"I had a wife, and children there with me." He was leaving out a very intricate detail that he would tell her when they were alone. "Two," he added. "One was a blonde little girl and the other a brown haired boy."  
  
Lissa drew in a deep breath and let it out, slightly brokenly. She looked up at Delemir and suddenly they were the only two things in the house, in the world. She leaned forward slowly, forgetting herself, but quickly stopped when she heard Emily clear her throat. She would just pretend nothing happened, and leaned backwards against the bed again.  
  
"Interesting," Emily mumbled. "When did you have this dream?"  
  
"Christmas night," he told her. "I remembered sometime that afternoon after you and the other Emilie left."  
  
"Oh. Meliss, are you still awake?" Emily asked, shoving Lissa's shoulder.  
  
"Mmm, kind of," she muttered with a slight grunt.  
  
Emily and Delemir laughed at her slightly. When they stopped, they saw Lissa with her eyes closed again. Emily sighed, a smirk still on her face, and Delemir smiled. When Emily looked over at Delemir, he was still smiling. She thought, with a deep seriousness, that he was honest when he had said he loved her. She just knew it from how he looked at her, with how his eyes were so soft when he looked at her, how when his lips curved into a smile, it was always so serene and gentle when it was set on her.  
  
Now, when she was around other people, men for instance who happened to flirt with her originally, a flame would ignite in his eyes, one that said to keep their hands off his woman, one that said if they continued, they'd be flirting with his fist instead of Lissa. Emily smiled at the thought of Delemir knocking some guy's lights out. It was a humorous thought, she realized. As funny as it was though, she wouldn't ever want to see it in person.  
  
"I don't suppose we should leave her there, huh?" Emily said, pulling herself from her thoughts. "I'll go downstairs and pull out the couch bed, then you can carry her down there. I'll pull out some blankets for you, and you can sleep on the other couch."  
  
"All right," Delemir said an easily lifted Lissa into his arms. He followed Emily down the stairs into a living room, trashed from a party earlier, he surmised, and stopped beside a couch. He watched her go to a little closet and tug out blankets. She tossed them on the floor without care.  
  
"Think you can use your feet and kick the cushions off the couch there?" she asked him, pointing at the couch beside him. "Without setting Meliss down."  
  
"Of course," he said and did so without much trouble. When the cushions were in a neat stack on the floor by the closet, Emily was pulling the bed out. When she finished that, she put the sheets on the mattress easily, as if she had done so many times before.  
  
"Okay, set Sleeping Beauty on here and I'll go get her a comforter," Emily murmured and disappeared upstairs.  
  
Delemir, a slight smile playing on his lips, set Lissa down on the bed gently. He skimmed his hand across her cheek first and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He saw the round top of it and traced it with his finger carefully.  
  
And that is how Emily found Delemir: leaned over her best friend, touching her face with a gentleness she thought had disappeared in men today, and murmuring softly to her in a different language. She worried about them both now. Not just Lissa because Delemir was in love with her-that sounded too weird-but for Delemir now as well, for he was so in love with Lissa that his heart may be broken should she reject him. And if that happened, they'd have a dead Elf on their hands.  
  
"Found a blanket for her," Emily said quietly, walking further into the room.  
  
Delemir straightened and cleared his throat. "Good," he said.  
  
"Take your pick for a couch since this one is taken by Queen of the Faerie Tales," Emily said. "I'll put the sheets and everything on it." She draped the thick comforter blanket of Lissa, and she curled into the pillow and the blanket in a childlike way.  
  
Delemir looked around, then at Emily. "I'm not incapable of putting bedding on a pallet, Emily," he told her.  
  
"I know. It's just, you guys are guests here now, so I'm stuck in the role of hostess," she said, grinning. "Just shut up and let me do it, Del."  
  
"As you wish. That one," Delemir said and pointed at the couch across from Lissa's.  
  
"Good pick. I love that one, too," Emily murmured and began the tedious task of putting sheets on a bed. When she finished, she chucked a pillow on it and set a thick blanket on it. "'Night, Delemir."  
  
"Good night, Emily. Thank you for letting us stay tonight," Delemir said and slipped onto the couch.  
  
"Anytime." She smiled at Delemir and disappeared upstairs.  
  
Later, about an hour after Delemir had tightened the blankets around him and fallen asleep, he heard a door shut somewhere in the house. Immediately awake and alert, he slipped from the bed and followed where he had heard the sound.  
  
Meanwhile, on the second floor balcony, Lissa stood, wrapped in a light blanket, and let out a content breath. She watched it pool out in steam and grinned. She drew in another breath, shaky from the cold, and held it for a while, then let it out slowly. She thought for a moment, then smiled wider. She opened her mouth, took another breath, and let it out on a mindless tune that became a song.  
  
"I thought you didn't sing outside of the shower," a quiet voice said from beside her ear.  
  
Lissa immediately whipped around and came face to face with Delemir, and he was grinning like a loon. "Well, I do sometimes, when I'm alone. But, apparently, I'm not," she said, feeling her thoughts slip already as he watched her intently. How could he make her feel like this when he only stared at her?  
  
"Apparently," Delemir agreed. He grinned as Lissa leaned against the rail on the balcony and sighed. He followed suit and watched the snowflakes fall around them.  
  
"Oh, my cheeks are cold," Lissa murmured, mostly to herself. She kept her gaze straight ahead of her, probably unaware she'd said that out loud.  
  
Delemir smiled slightly and looked over at Lissa. She didn't face him, he took in. Good, he thought, and leaned forward. He pressed his lips against her cheek and felt the cold instantly warm into a searing heat that made him wonder why he didn't flinch and jump backward away from her. Probably, he mused, because he was in love with her.  
  
"What-What was that for?" she stammered. Lissa turned her head to Delemir and saw him chuckling.  
  
"You said your cheeks were cold. Did I assist you in warming them?" he asked her, still laughing.  
  
"Meanie. Yes, you did." Unconsciously, Lissa touched the spot his lips had previously been and still felt the heat there. She shivered again, but not from cold, but from realization that her feelings were true and that there was no denying she loved him.  
  
"What's a 'meanie'?" Delemir asked, leaning his hip against the rail and eyeing her.  
  
"It's a pet name of calling someone mean. But I was only teasing," she added at his amused look. "Stop laughing at me. What's so funny?" She quickly set her hands at her sides and stared up at him.  
  
"You are, Lissa." He grinned and toyed with the ends of her hair. "Why are you out here?" he asked before she could come up with a remark against his comment.  
  
"Because." Lissa took a breath and let it out slowly, contemplating a good answer. "Because I like it outside at night. It's soothing, I guess. It's just so quiet and no one's outside to yell something to you and distract you. The only noises are those of the night, and your own breathing." As she spoke, Lissa's voice trailed off as she saw Delemir leaning closer to her. She drew in a breath and waited to feel his lips over hers.  
  
But she didn't feel anything. He stopped about six inches away from her face and turned his head. "I don't hear your breathing," he said quietly. "Are you breathing, Lissa?"  
  
"Yes," she said obstinately, slightly disappointed and irritated at herself for feeling that way. "Yes, I am now. See?" She blew out a long breath to demonstrate and shivered in the process.  
  
"Let's go inside," Delemir said, smiling. "It's a little more than cold out here." He offered his hand to her and walked inside when she took it. They went downstairs in silence and into the living room where a fire was going. Sighing quietly, Delemir looked down at Lissa and smiled again.  
  
"What?" she asked when she realized he was looking at her.  
  
"Nothing," he replied and lifted his hand to her cheek slowly. He was slightly amazed when she leaned into his touch and shut her eyes slowly. His amazement was drained suddenly when Lissa reached up and grabbed his wrist and opened her eyes, with effort, he mused.  
  
Her eyes drifted to his and held them there. The amber flecks in her eyes had disappeared in the darkness and intensity as she stared at him with fierce concentration. The deep brown was full of emotions that were unreadable to Delemir. But, he thought, he wouldn't be able to read them if he wanted. He was too lost in her gaze to think.  
  
"Lissa," he said quietly and backed her up against a wall.  
  
Without replying, she rose on her toes and rubbed her lips against his firmly then went flat on her feet again. She looked up at him still, and reveled in the shock that flitted across his face. She seemed to feed off of it as she rose on her toes once more and kissed him again, but longer and with more force.  
  
Why was she doing this to him? Why was she making him feel like he was on fire and going to explode at any given moment? Delemir wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back with the same urgency and need she was pushing across as these thoughts skittered from one side of his brain to the other and out of comprehension. He couldn't think anymore. Any thoughts were incoherent and without reason or logic. His blood ran like fire through his veins and pounded loudly in his ears when he felt Lissa's hand go around his neck and tangle in his hair. His hands found their way around her waist and played rhythmically up and down her back slowly. She arched against him as tingles flew through her spine. Oh, what a glorious feeling that was to Delemir.  
  
Pulling back, Lissa took in a very deep breath. She looked up at Delemir and saw he was just as every bit shocked as she was that the kiss had happened. But neither of them regretted it. Then, without a word, Lissa slipped from Delemir's grasp and sank onto the couch bed slowly, intently. She pulled the blankets around her tightly. Looking up, she saw Delemir watching her still. She smiled slyly at him, slyly and sleepily. Then she yawned and drifted into sleep under Delemir's penetrating gaze.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sighing quietly, Emily woke up around ten, or close enough to it. She slipped out of bed and took a quick shower. The first one that year, she mused as the hot spray fell over her. When she stepped out, she dressed again then ran a brush through her hair. She was prepared for the brand new year that had started at midnight. She was ready for anything.  
  
Laughing to herself, she started downstairs and came to a big surprise when she reached the living room. Not just the clutter and slight mess from the one-woman party she'd hosted for herself last night, but from the occupants of her living room. She finally remembered Delemir and Lissa had paid her a visit last night, or rather this morning, and she had let them sleep in the living room. It hadn't been until too late to realize it might've been a bad idea, but oh well. They were adults. They could've handled themselves.  
  
And it seemed they did, though in a slightly strange way. They were both on the couch bed, and Delemir had his arm wrapped around Lissa's waist. His face was buried in her hair, just at her neck. Lissa's arm was snaked around his, and they were cuddled impossibly close to each other.  
  
Letting out a long breath, Emily walked to the kitchen to start breakfast, knowing if she woke them up now, it'd probably result in bloodshed on Lissa and Delemir's account.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa took in a deep breath contently and felt glorious. She didn't know why, but she did. She knew Delemir's arm was wrapped around her. She'd woken up when he had slipped behind her on the bed and had snuggled up behind her. She'd only pretended to be asleep for both of their sakes. Now, she didn't have to since the sunlight was filtering in through windows and doors.  
  
Stretching like a cat, she found the scent of breakfast and felt her stomach scream for it. When she felt Delemir's arm tighten around her waist, she knew he was awake now too. She smiled and heard Emily in the kitchen or the dining room. Either one.  
  
"'Morning," Lissa murmured to Delemir as she angled her head down slightly.  
  
Delemir made a slight, uncommitted noise that men normally made in the mornings, causing Lissa to laugh. She laughed even more when she felt his lips against the curve of her neck. When she felt his lips trace a path to the sensitive skin just below her ear, she heard Emily clear her throat distinctly.  
  
"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything," she said intently, "but breakfast is ready."  
  
"Great," Lissa said. "We'll be there in a minute."  
  
"Or five," Emily joked as she left to go eat her own food.  
  
Lissa grinned wryly and trailed her finger up Delemir's arm until she reached the crook in his elbow. She gently caressed the soft skin there and felt him stiffen and squirm slightly. "Hah, got you back," Lissa murmured softly and slipped off of the couch bed to eat the first breakfast of the year.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa sighed as she closed the door. It was the fifth of January, and she'd just spent the entire day over at Mischelle's house. It was three a.m. Or four, she mused. She didn't care. As long as she could have her bed, she would be happy. She dropped her bag on the floor and looked up the stairs. Connor and Delemir would be asleep. It was time Connor left her house and went back to New York, she mused. He'd sort of overstayed his welcome, and the whole thing with her and Delemir...  
  
She shook her head and walked into the living room. She sighed audibly, unable to stand the itching in her back anymore. Just a few more steps, she thought, then you'll be in your room. When she reached her room, she turned the light on and went into her bathroom to carry on the nightly routine of brushing her teeth, combing her hair and pulling it back in a ponytail. When she walked back into her room, she stood in front of her dresser and reached up under her shirt to undo the strap on her bra. She sighed with relief when she felt its release. "I, ah, wouldn't go much further than that," a soft voice said from Lissa's bed. She whipped round and saw Delemir leaning against the headboard on her bed. "What-What are you doing here? Why aren't you asleep in your room, Delemir?" she demanded, suddenly aware she'd nearly stripped down to nothing to change clothes. "Waiting for you to come home," he said dryly. He watched her, and the emotions running over her face. "Why?" She felt uncomfortable under his gaze. Why did he wait for her? Why wasn't he asleep? This was the first time he had ever waited for her. At least he hadn't kept the front porch light on. Wait, he had.  
  
"Because, that's what friends do when another is out late," Delemir said, standing and walking up to her.  
  
"Connor isn't up," Lissa insisted.  
  
"Because he was working all day on deciphering dreams for his clients," the Elf said fiercely. "But he did stay up until midnight. I took the baton and have been awake until now."  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Lissa blurted. She was absolutely furious now, and not about the fact that the blasted tag on her bra was itchy still. She'd have much rather dealt with Connor than Delemir right now, especially in this mood Delemir developed. "Why are you being such an overprotective father when I was just at Mischelle's?"  
  
"How was I supposed to know that?" he lashed out. "I couldn't call you since I have not the faintest idea of using that thing you call a phone, and I-" He stopped himself, took a calming breath.  
  
"And you what, Delemir?" Lissa demanded, feeling her eyes brimming with tears.  
  
"Don't want to be worried about you like I was tonight," he muttered.  
  
"Bull," she protested. "Completely bull with a capital 'B.' I'm leaving again-without my cell phone so you can't contact me even if you tried." She tossed the handheld phone on the dresser and turned to go back out into the snow outside.  
  
Delemir muttered an Elvish oath for handling everything so badly. He hadn't meant to, honestly. He'd meant to tell her that he was waiting for her and why-which was because he really was worried since it was three in the morning-in a very adult manner. Instead, he behaved like a child running with scissors-cocky and angry when the mother tried to take them away-when he was faced with everything. Cursing himself again, he had a flashback of a few weeks ago in the hospital.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa reached up and took a handful of Delemir's shirt and brought him closer. She took a shuddered breath and let it out brokenly. "Never let me leave the house angry like that again, Delemir," Lissa demanded.  
  
"What? Lissa, I-"  
  
"Promise me." "Lissa-"  
  
"Say 'I promise' Delemir."  
  
"I promise, Melissa," he told her quietly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END~FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir groaned, disgusted with himself and went to rouse Connor to tell him what had happened and to be chewed out again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa shivered as the temperature dropped a few degrees and snow blew in her face. She leaned against a tree in the park and closed her eyes. She knew she shouldn't have left. She should have kicked, literally kicked, Delemir out of her room and locked the door. She should have flung herself on her bed and gone to sleep. Had she? No.  
  
It was so cold, she thought. And she was so tired. Unaware of her movements, Lissa slipped down until she was sitting in the snow. Her body was numbed. She couldn't feel a thing, not even when the snow melted under her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir paced back and forth quickly in the living room, waiting for Connor to come back. Waiting for Lissa to come back. Either of them, as long as it was with the other. As long as they weren't alone. When he resigned to sitting on the couch after thinking he might put a hole in the carpet, he heard the door open. He immediately jumped up and saw Connor holding Lissa in his arms. Her entire body was shaking, and her hair was all frosted. Her lips were a light shade of purple, and her face was near about white. Delemir couldn't believe it.  
  
"Get a fire going," Connor commanded. He set her on the couch in a sitting position, leaning against the arm of the couch, and pulled the throw off of the back of it to tuck around Lissa.  
  
"Where was she?" Delemir asked as he had a fire sparking within fifteen seconds.  
  
"The park. Why did you let her leave?" Connor took Lissa's hand in his and rubbed it gently, wincing at the cold under her skin.  
  
Delemir was silent. "We were both angry. She more than I, most likely," he finally said. Delemir found another blanket and handed it to Connor.  
  
Connor shot a death glare at Delemir then said, "I didn't think Elves of your kind could become angry so easily," with a sneer curling on his upper lip.  
  
"Excuse me?" Delemir looked up from stoking the fire and saw the gleam of disbelief and mockery in Connor's eyes. "It doesn't matter what I am and what you are right now. At least not to me. What matters to me, and it should to you as well, is Lissa and her well being. I want to know if she's going to be all right, if she's going to wake up. It isn't any of your business who made whom mad over what, when and where. It doesn't matter to me right now. I'm not going to beat myself up over what we said earlier because I don't care, and neither should you, Connor."  
  
The gleam in Connor's eyes was dulled to barely a sparkle compared to Delemir's fire blazing like a beacon on a clear night. Connor felt slightly intimidated and out of league, so he gave one last glare to Delemir and left, muttering about something.  
  
Delemir sighed and touched his ear softly. For the first time in his life, he wished he wasn't an Elf and was just a regular human being. When Lissa stirred slightly, he went over to her and saw her eyes open. They focused on him for a moment, but she didn't say anything. Deciding to act on his instincts, he went to her and knelt at her feet, seeing her eyes following him the entire time. He slowly took her boots off and set them on the floor then took her socks of carefully and set them in the boots beside the fire. Looking up at her once more, he saw her nod off into a cold induced sleep again. Panic swept through him when he saw that her eyes lolled to the back of her head.  
  
"Lissa! Wake up! Open your eyes, Lissa. Look at me," Delemir pleaded with her, leaning over her and framing her face gently with his hands. "Wake up." When he spoke, his voice showed his desperation for her to look at him. "Please."  
  
He gave her a quick shake, willing himself not to yell again. Shaking his head, now, he leaned over her more and rested his head on her shoulder. He couldn't believe he'd let her leave when she was irritated again, especially when it was still freezing outside. She'd been gone for one hour. One solid hour. Delemir felt like giving himself a swift kick in the rump for letting her go. He'd broken his promise to her. He never broke promises. First time for everything, he thought.  
  
"Delemir," he heard Lissa murmur softly. Her voice was strained and throaty when she spoke.  
  
"Melissa," Delemir said breathlessly. He held her against him and whispered soft kisses against her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."  
  
For the first time in the weeks Lissa had known Delemir, this was the first time she had ever witnessed him crying. She felt compelled to slip her arms around him, though she could hardly feel any part of her body at all. Except her racing heart. It felt odd to have a full-grown man with a few thousand years under his belt leaning on her shoulder, crying. Over her, she mused. Seriously odd.  
  
"For what?" she managed as Delemir looked at her face.  
  
"I broke a promise. I upset you." He leaned forward and kissed her lips quickly. "I'm sorry. I promised you I would never let you leave the house angry, yet I did. I'm so sorry," he told her. "So sorry." He kissed her gently again, but longer and drew the passion out until he felt her arms fall weakly to the couch again. He pulled himself back and sighed lightly.  
  
"Delemir," she began, but he silenced her by pressing his finger against her lips.  
  
"Shh, shh, shh, don't speak," he murmured softly. He removed his finger from her lips and replaced it with his own lips again gently. "Don't try to speak."  
  
He moved off of her and found another thick blanket for her. He draped it around her carefully then, sitting down beside her, cradled her head against his chest. He felt her shiver slightly and hoped she wasn't crying. He only held her closer then. He gently pressed his lips to her hair only to know she wasn't some illusion and that she was really there.  
  
"Delemir," she murmured quietly. "Thank you." She snuggled closer to his warmth, denied the thought that it was only because she was cold.  
  
"You're welcome," he replied, resting his cheek against her hair.  
  
'I don't know what I'd do with out you,' she thought to herself.  
  
Lissa closed her eyes finally, letting out a shaky breath and fell asleep in Delemir's arms.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own LoTR. Will never own it, either, as it all goes. I will never own anything that has a trademark in this. Anything else, like Connor, Lissa, and the house that I wrote for Emily to live in, I do own. Proudly.  
  
Okay, to the usual 'Author's Note' here. Happy New Years-belatedly! Whoo! Ahem...anyway. Yes, I know, I am being very, very cruel in this story, and will only be crueler, most likely. I think I wrote this either Sunday morning at church, or when I was really ticked. I'm cathartic, so I tend to take out my anger on stuff like games or my stories. Or I just listen to really loud rock music. :D Mmm.....I think I'm going to have Connor move out after this since Delemir basically laid the cards on the table. Funny...he's playing poker right now. Hehehe. Things are getting better with Delemir and Lissa, but they're still liable to have an argument over which Dr. Suess book was the best (The Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham?) to leaving the front porch light on for the other, like in this chapter. Okay, rambled and babbled enough. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story! It's got a long way to go, and one more dream to deal with getting through. It'll be the next night, hopefully, in the next chapter. Talk to y'all later! 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Lissa woke quietly. It felt odd, she thought, to feel warmth around her as this warmth was. It wasn't like the warmth from a blanket, yet there was one around her. It wasn't like the warmth from a fire, yet one was lit in the fireplace, waning slowly. It was like another body's warmth.  
  
She looked up best she could and found her face buried in thick, rich, blonde hair. She turned her head and saw Delemir's face. He was asleep, so his features were slightly serene and soft. His eyes were closed tightly and their lids would twitch occasionally in a dream. His mouth was set in a thin line. Lissa reached up to brush the locks of hair away from his face when his eyes shot open. She felt her heart jump and skip a beat when his penetrating gaze set on hers. Immediately, his features softened more and he smiled.  
  
"Hi," Lissa managed, her hand still a whisper from his face. His eyes glanced to her hand then found her eyes again, held them there in his.  
  
"Hello," he murmured softly, smiling still. "I wanted to wake you, but it seems you woke me." He reached up and took her hand in his. Waiting a beat, he kissed her palm and felt her pulse jump under her skin.  
  
"Sorry," Lissa murmured. "I woke up before you again." Oh, she couldn't think correctly. Just his eyes, his gaze set her mind off of its track. How could that be when she had a five-track mind most of the time?  
  
"'Tis all right. I still see your face after you were asleep." Delemir found himself grinning as he tilted his head just right and set his intentions across then his lips met her softly, but only for a moment. When he drew back, Lissa had a faint trace of a grin on her face as well.  
  
"What a wake-up call," she murmured and snuggled closer to him again. "And it's six in the morning. Wow."  
  
That earned a laugh from Delemir on the spot. It was a glorious sound in the morning, especially when his arms were around her waist. If someone had looked at them from the front, they would look only as a slight tangle of limbs, or a two-headed monster. The thought had Lissa laughing too.  
  
"I had a dream," she said some time later.  
  
"Oh?" was Delemir's quiet response. Something stirred in him when Lissa stretched like a cat against him.  
  
"Yeah, a really weird one. I need to be crowned queen of weird dreams, I swear." She laughed again and leaned backwards against the arm of the couch, letting her hair touch the ground.  
  
"Why is that?" Delemir tried not to focus his attention on all the soft curves in front of him, or the faint sight of tan skin between where her shirt ended and her jeans began.  
  
"Because," Lissa began, her voice slightly tougher from the pressure on it, "ever since I was little, around eight, I've always had really, really strange dreams. This one was just another to add to the diary of wackbrain ideas." She laughed, an odd sound from being tilted upside-down.  
  
"What was this one about?" Delemir wanted to know. Eru, help him, he thought when Lissa pulled herself upward to face him again. Her face was red from a blood rush to her head, and her hair was poofy.  
  
"Well, if you want to know the true insanity of my youth, you might want to find that straight jacket the nice men in white coats left here their last visit. Never mind," she said at his puzzled expression. "It probably came from last night's weird act, or not, but I don't care. I dreamt I was making a snow angel in the grass and snow was falling during spring." She laughed again at Delemir's vague expression. "Then Bennett was eating dandelions and roses in my neighbor's garden." Bennett came streaking in with an ear-splitting yowl at the sound of his name. "Bennett isn't a vegetarian." The cat jumped up onto her lap, between the two, and purred like a motor boat.  
  
"Interesting." Delemir reached out to touch the cat's fur when they heard loud clunking upstairs. "I wonder what Mr. Analyst is doing now," Lissa murmured, closing her eyes and leaning against the couch. Delemir immediately stood and walked over to the fireplace.  
  
"Mr. Analyst," Connor's voice echoed downstairs, "is leaving back to Manhattan. See you on my next trip, love." He sounded angry and upset, but nevertheless, came down to Lissa and kissed her cheek lavishly. There was still affection there, outwitting all of his anger. Delemir watched everything, then saw the look Connor gave him. "Take care of my woman, you hear?"  
  
Delemir nodded. "Of course," he assured Connor. "I will."  
  
Connor made his last comments and exited to catch a bus to the airport and leave. Lissa, meanwhile, was eyeing Delemir conspicuously.  
  
"What?" he asked her, standing and thrusting his hands in his pockets.  
  
"What happened between you two last night?" she demanded, hauling Bennett up into her lap again.  
  
Delemir furrowed his brow at the memory and sighed. "We disagree a lot for men, Lissa. He accused me of this whole thing being my fault, which it is- "  
  
"No, it isn't. It's mine." Lissa stood, dropping the cat, and walked over to Delemir. She touched his arm softly and made him look at her with her other hand. "It's my fault, Delemir, since I wasn't being mature enough to handle my anger and talk with you like an adult. Instead, I acted like a child and ran off to pout," she told him. "Don't feel bad about it." Staring hard into deep blue eyes, brown eyes with amber filled.  
  
"Lissa-"  
  
"No, Delemir, let me get this out. I feel so horribly because that's all I've done. Act like a child. Yes, I have, and don't try arguing with me. Ever since we've met, I've been like this and haven't done anything about it. I'm sorry, Delemir, that I've made you stand me like this for so long. I'm going to try to act more mature and more my age than I have been."  
  
Sighing loudly, more relieved than ever, Lissa tried out a weak smile before she realized she was incapable of forming one with the sudden emotions and realization flowing through her. Connor was gone. It was only she and Delemir and Bennett living in the house now, but Bennett didn't count as a threat. He was just there to be annoying and break her out of a good inspirational flow of words. But she and Delemir were people, and they were people who were involved with each other. That may prove to be a problem later, she thought.  
  
"You think too much," Delemir told her, still watching her intently. "And so loud, too." He touched her temple gently with his lips. "You'll form a headache right about...here if you keep that up. You need to stop thinking."  
  
She did. She couldn't think for only that moment, after she felt his lips against her skin, even in the most impersonal of ways. Or was it such a personal feeling that it numbed her senses and reasonable and logical thought?  
  
"Stop thinking, I told you," Delemir demanded and drew her against him tightly. "Or I'll have to pull desperate measures against you."  
  
"What?" He was doing the trick, whether he was trying to or not. Her thought process, two trains down so far, was fading into oblivion and the vaults of her own mind. Delemir was proud of himself. "What measures? Against me for what?"  
  
"For thinking too much and so loud." He kissed her forehead gently and knocked another train off the rail. "I have often heard the saying 'Desperate times call for desperate measures,' on that TV thing of yours. This is a desperate time, my love, and I will pull desperate measures on you." He sounded wryly, or dryly, amused by the way his tone rang in Lissa's ears.  
  
That mouth of his was just too big, she thought. Too big and too noisy. She had to quiet it someway or other. She just had to. And, she mused, she was doing just what he had told her not to.  
  
"You're being very rebellious. I fear I must carry out the first threat against your fortress," he informed her and slipped his hand up her back, playing there rhythmically and sending tingles down her spine in sync. When his hand tangled in her thick brown hair, he tipped her head back and looked into her eyes that had previously been focused on his lips. His touch on her flesh as he massaged her neck sent the fourth and second to last train off the track into the ditch.  
  
"Delemir," she said quietly, her voice hitching in her throat as his fingers worked out the tension at the base of her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut and a moan escaped her lips as the fifth and final train fell and crashed off its track. Then she was lost to mindless passions and fevered desire. "For heaven's sake, kiss me if you're going to!"  
  
"Not yet, my love," he murmured, pleased by the way she leaned against him for support when her knees turned to jelly under her.  
  
He watched her lips part, waiting for his to alight on them, but he made her wait more. He touched her cheek softly and felt her skin heat against his. He felt her go pliant in his arms, waiting for him. She was total surrender. And, he told himself, that must have been a rare thing for Lissa to be.  
  
When he lowered his mouth, it wasn't to her lips, but to the curve of her neck. His lips whispered softly over her skin there, and he felt every pulse in her neck throb under his lips. He felt her heart thud against his, matching its racing pace. When she uttered another low, throaty moan, her hands went up to his shoulders and kneaded there, her finely clipped nails digging into the shirt and his skin.  
  
"Delemir." Her voice was no more than a whisper, coming out on a breath that managed to escape. "Please."  
  
Unable to contain himself any longer, and frightened of what Lissa may do to have her way, he rested his lips against hers and felt them warm against his. Her lips parted, inviting. All he found she had to offer, he took, but gave his own back to her for even and fair play.  
  
Lissa was breathless and thoughtless, her mind spinning in wild circles that brought on the best dizziness she'd ever felt. It was incredible that she could feel this way without even trying, or manipulating herself. It was marvelous that she had been manipulated by the one she loved.  
  
She accepted that now that she loved him. Accepted and respected. If one didn't respect their own feelings, how would they respect anyone else's?  
  
"Lissa."  
  
She felt her name against her lips when Delemir drew away slightly. His hands were still tangled in her hair at her neck, and she was still pressed against him tightly. Her hands were still at his shoulders and she loosened her grip when she realized how hard it was there.  
  
"Hold on, Delemir, I can't think yet," she murmured, resting her head at the curve of his neck carefully, wary of her spinning head. "I need all five trains to get back on track before I do anything."  
  
"Are you saying I knocked them all off track?" Delemir nearly laughed.  
  
"Yep. You knocked the first two trains off in fifteen seconds. The third, forth, and fifth took a little longer, but you did. Congratulations. You're the first one that's ever done that."  
  
"I am?" Delemir rubbed his cheek over her hair gently, taking in the scent she carried with her. It smelled earthy, kind of like flowers. Yet it was a stronger scent than a flower, though it wasn't overpowering.  
  
"You're the one thinking now, Delemir," Lissa told him, looking up at him.  
  
"Yes," he agreed.  
  
Lissa sighed and pulled from his arms. She had to think this all through. She had to see what she was getting herself into. And if she could get herself out of it.  
  
Knowing he would wonder if she just left, Lissa looked over at Delemir and decided something on the spot. "I'm going to go make some cookies," she told him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. She left him there, standing flustered and a little confused to go make chocolate chip cookies.  
  
When she reached the kitchen, she closed the curtains between the door to the kitchen and the dining room, then placed her hands on the counter, resting her weight on her arms as she looked at a recipe. She wasn't reading it. She knew it by heart. She was thinking, and feigning complete concentration on the other task at hand.  
  
She began to pull ingredients out after uttering a long, quiet sigh. He was an Elf, immortal and invulnerable to sickness and most deaths. He could die if he was killed in a battle or his heart was broken. Had it been broken when he came here? Good Lord, had there been another woman that he was in love with before he came to Lissa? Was she the only one?  
  
Yanking out the bag of chocolate chips, she pulled a handful out and munched on the semi-sweet chocolate. Why did she have to think of all this now, after she was already in love with him? Why was she in love with him so soon after...  
  
After that moron left her, broken and lost and hurt.  
  
Growling, she kicked the fridge and then seethed at the pain emanating from her foot. She hissed out a breath and tried to control herself by putting on her Phantom of the Opera tapes. The singing, AKA screaming, always made her feel better in the desperate love story of the Phantom and Christine. She was something he could never have.  
  
Then realization hit her and she immediately stopped the music in the middle of the song Think of Me, when Carlotta was shrieking upon the sight of the phantom. It seemed that Lissa was in the place of the Phantom, wanting something he and she couldn't, and Delemir was in the place of Christine. Lissa was hopelessly in love with Delemir, someone whom she couldn't have because he most likely belonged to someone else in his own time, like Christine and Raoul were desperately in love and engaged in Act II.  
  
Turning on the mixer, Lissa started singing a mindless tune to herself by John Denver. She immediately stopped herself when she realized the song was You Fill Up My Senses. That was a love song as well. Cursing herself, Lissa shoved her hair out of her eyes and started to stir in the chocolate chips viciously and without an ear to their pleas as they were buried in batter.  
  
Emitting an evil little cackle at the thought, she started spooning them out onto a cookie sheet. She shoved them in the oven and when she was done spooning more dough onto another sheet, she felt the urge for a salad with chicken in it, so she pulled leftovers from the fridge again. She found the chicken then pulled out a food chopper. It was tall with blades at the bottom that, when you pushed the lever at the top down, would come down and crush the food into little bits. She put the chicken on the protective cover of the food chopper then slammed the lever down.  
  
A sickening thud after thud sounded out in the kitchen, and Delemir felt sorry for his existence suddenly. Whatever Lissa was doing, she obviously wasn't too happy. He wondered why. She'd seemed so happy and delighted with whatever was running through her mind when she'd left him. Why was she so upset now? He wanted to find out, but was scared to go in the kitchen.  
  
Swallowing his fears of what evil things Lissa could do to him, he walked into the dining room and saw a sheer curtain in front of the door leading to the kitchen. He saw Lissa on the other side, pummeling something with a dangerous look on her face. When he stepped inside the kitchen warily, he saw a murderous gleam in Lissa's eyes. She looked up at him, and the gleam left to be replaced by utter glee.  
  
"Hi," she said, rubbing her palms against her jeans.  
  
"Uh, hi," Delemir returned, still eyeing the contraption she'd been working with.  
  
"I was chopping chicken for a salad," she explained. "Want one?"  
  
"What?" What was she talking about?  
  
"A salad. Do you want one?" she repeated.  
  
"Sure." Delemir sat down at the bar, sure now that she wouldn't kill him.  
  
"Jeez, did you think I was going to take your hand and cut your fingers to bits?" she asked, sitting down to stare at him over the counter.  
  
"Something like that." He offered a hesitant smile.  
  
"No one trusts me with this thing. They always think I'm going to cut off their toes or their fingers or something," Lissa mused. "It's probably because when I was about thirteen-"  
  
"A lot of things happened when you were thirteen," Delemir observed.  
  
"Yes, they did. When I was about thirteen," she continued, "my mom was making a chicken salad with one of her friends from church, and I came up with the philosophy that whenever I was angry or whatever, I'd come do this and imagine it was my brother's head, or someone's head that I didn't like or had ticked me off."  
  
At this, Delemir looked quite frightened and swallowed hard. "Whose head were you imagining there?" he ventured to ask.  
  
Lissa gained a thoughtful face and sat quietly for a minute, taking on one of her famous thinking positions with her index finger at the left corner of her lips. Then, she finally said, "Mmm, to keep tradition, my brother's head for no apparent reason."  
  
"Is that good or bad?"  
  
"Good, because it wasn't your head," she joked. At the mortified look that crossed Delemir's face, she reached over and patted his hand. "Don't worry, you'd have to severely piss me off to have that honor."  
  
The buzzer on the stove rang out suddenly. "Are you going to continue to be vulgar or pull those cookies out?" Delemir asked.  
  
"Hmm. I really want those cookies, so I'm going to get them," she answered, forgetting the salad. Lissa picked up an oven mitt and opened the oven, the heat washing over her as she pulled the cookies out. She set them on the stove and put another sheet in.  
  
When she sat down again, she sighed.  
  
"What?" Delemir asked, walking over to her when she only stared at him.  
  
"You know, you're really handsome," Lissa murmured, drawing him closer. "Really, really handsome. Makes me wonder if you had another girl in Lothlórien." As soon as she said that, she winced and squeezed her eyes tight together. "Sorry. Never mind."  
  
Delemir nodded and forgot it, unwilling to think of the past he couldn't remember. Then he saw the mischievous glance come back into Lissa's eyes. She took a handful of his shirt again and tugged him slowly closer. When their lips were a whisper apart, they heard something from the living room.  
  
"The hills are alive with the sound of music!" someone sang wonderfully, much like Ewan MacGregor from Moulin Rouge, only in a woman's voice. Then, "Oh, I, ah, hope I'm not interrupting anything." It was Emily.  
  
Lissa took a quick nip at Delemir's bottom lip, then said, smirking like the Grinch, "Not particularly. Great voice, love." Lissa stood and kissed Emily's cheek.  
  
"Eww! Right after kissing Delemir, too!" Emily said, faking disgust. "Actually..." She trailed off and eyed Delemir conspicuously with a dangerous gleam in her eyes.  
  
"Mine." Lissa grabbed Delemir's arm and pulled him against her. "And I'm not sharing, either. Spank my bad butt if you want, and put me in a corner, but I'm not sharing."  
  
Both women laughed, and Delemir shook his head.  
  
"So," Emily said, reaching over and grabbing a cookie. "What'd I miss out with you two love tards?"  
  
Lissa fumed at that remark. "Not love tards!" she defied.  
  
"Okay, then, people-who-are-infatuated-with-each-other," Emily improvised.  
  
"Emily-"  
  
"What's a love tard?" Delemir asked.  
  
Both women looked at him now, and then Lissa took the cookies out of the oven and put more-the last batch-in. "A love tard is someone who is completely infatuated with someone they love," Emily explained. Both Lissa and Delemir turned a faint shade of red. "Sorry I told," Emily said upon the slight tension rising in the room.  
  
Lissa let a laugh bubble out of her. She looked at Delemir and saw him staring back at her, intensely. She suddenly felt this wave of desire and need that was unbearable. She stood from the chair she'd just rested in and grabbed Delemir's hand. She began yanking him out of the room with her when Emily let out a cry of resentment.  
  
"Hey, where are you two going?" she wanted to know.  
  
"Gimme a minute, or so," Lissa called and pulled Delemir with her to her room.  
  
She closed her door and rested her back against it, pulling Delemir in front of her. She watched his eyes, then reversed the position, watching Delemir and leaning against him.  
  
"Lissa, what are you doing?" he murmured, frightened by her sudden actions.  
  
"Kissing you," she said and did just that. She pressed her lips firmly over his and took whatever she could find, whether he was offering it or not. She framed his face in her hands as she kissed him, and felt him wrap his arm around her waist. He brought her closer, tighter against him as he let his passions loose between them.  
  
Lissa felt a throbbing in her pulse as Delemir's lips ran over her face, over the sensitive skin below her ear, over the curve of her neck. She fought back a low moan, the thought of Emily in the kitchen still present in her mind. Her hands slid down to his shoulders and kneaded there as they had earlier, with the same pressure and roughness. She let her hands tangle in his blonde hair as she drew him up to kiss his lips again.  
  
"Lissa? Can I have another cookie?" Emily called from the kitchen.  
  
"Sure!" Lissa managed through the passions firing through her. "Delemir," she added in an undertone, knowing to stop everything now. "Delemir."  
  
"Hmm?" His lips rested against hers, the flares of flames finally lowering, but the throbbing still there in both of them.  
  
Lissa looked into his eyes and found herself at a loss for words. Knowing there were no words for right then, she kissed him firmly again then sighed. The thought that it'd probably be more trouble-or pleasure-she kissed him once more and pulled out of his arms. She went to her dresser and opened her sock drawer. An article of clothing fell out, and Lissa was unaware of it as Delemir bent to pick it up. It was a black, lacy piece of thin material that brought a smirk to his face.  
  
"Lissa?"  
  
"Huh?" She looked up, focused on him then the silky material. She flushed crimson quickly then, fast as lightening, she grabbed the garment from him and hid it.  
  
"What was that?" Delemir wanted to know, still grinning.  
  
"Nothing that concerns you," Lissa said so quickly that Delemir nodded skeptically and laughed. He bent down and kissed her again as she dug out socks. She smiled innocently as she stuffed the black item back into the drawer and pulled Delemir out of the room and to the kitchen.  
  
"What'd you guys do?" Emily joked. She was setting the last batch of cookies on the counter.  
  
Instead of answering, Lissa sent Delemir a talk-you-die look and pulled a cup from a cupboard over the bar. She went to the sink and filled the glass all the way and drained it, filled it and drained it a few more times.  
  
"Jeez, Meliss. Save some for the fishes," Emily said, taking the half- emptied glass from Lissa and draining the rest herself.  
  
Lissa lifted her eyebrow at Emily and thought about what she'd been thinking previously. She'd quenched her desire that was still humming in her blood by flushing out her system with numerous glasses of water.  
  
"Bathroom," Lissa murmured and left the room.  
  
Emily grinned and giggled as Lissa left the room and only laughed harder when she saw the look Delemir was giving her. "Yes, I know what you two were doing," she said to Delemir.  
  
"What were we doing, then?" he wondered, leaning over the countertop and watching Emily.  
  
"Necking," she said simply.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" was Delemir's reply.  
  
"Kissing," Emily simplified, grinning as Lissa came back in. Delemir and Emily both took on innocent looks as Lissa thoroughly looked them over.  
  
"Conspirators," Lissa said at last. "Living room?"  
  
"Sure." Emily stood and the two walked to the dining room. "You coming, Del?"  
  
"Depends on what you two will talk about," he said, but followed them anyway.  
  
When he entered the living room, soft music, he recognized as John Denver, was playing through the stereo in the corner of the room. A soft, feminine scent was flowing through the room and he saw Lissa putting down a bottle of lotion on a table where an old radio was. She rubbed her hands together and grinned.  
  
"What did you do this time?" Delemir asked.  
  
"What?" Both women looked up at Delemir, but it was Lissa who spoke.  
  
"You have that knowing smirk on her face that says you did something mischievous. What did you do?" Delemir elaborated.  
  
"A woman thing. Something that you'll either suffer from or enjoy later," Emily said as Lissa sat down on the couch and reclined with a cookie in her hand she'd snagged from a pile in the kitchen. She munched on it slowly, letting the warmness seep through her.  
  
"I have a feeling I should be afraid," Delemir said, sitting next to Lissa and taking a bite from her cookie. Unbeknownst to Emily, he had nipped Lissa's knuckle gently, barely noticeably. When he leaned back against the arm of the couch, he let out a manly groan that signified fatigue and caused Emily and Lissa to grin.  
  
"I always found it amusing when guys would wake up in the morning and make those noises," Lissa murmured.  
  
"They made up for your silence," Emily said.  
  
"True." Lissa grinned.  
  
"Silence, about Lissa? Impossible!" Delemir joked.  
  
"Not really. See, you've always woken me up in the mornings in the most inconvenient-or in some cases, like this morning, convenient-ways so I had to yell at you. Let me wake up on my own on my own time unlike this morning, I'm silent as the grave," Lissa said, eyeing him.  
  
"Whoa, this morning? What happened this morning?" Emily wondered.  
  
"Connor left," Lissa informed her simply, avoiding what Emily had really meant.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Delemir and Lissa exchanged looks before Delemir said, "Man thing."  
  
"Ooh," Emily said. "Territorial?"  
  
Lissa threw a pillow at Emily's stomach. "No!" she nearly howled. "Absolutely not. Connor's married and-"  
  
The phone rang, cutting Lissa short. She grumbled a protest against phones and ran to the kitchen to answer it. Delemir reclined on the couch in a way that only men could obtain. Emily sighed, thinking everything, life, was weird.  
  
"Do you still love her?" she asked suddenly.  
  
Delemir winced at the question and opened his eyes again, casting a look of disbelief at Emily. "What?"  
  
"Do you still love Melissa?" she repeated.  
  
"Yes," Delemir murmured quietly. "Yes, I do." A cold shiver ran through him even as he admitted it.  
  
"Have you told her?" Emily wanted to know.  
  
"No."  
  
"Dude, you can't just let that sort of thing build up on you like you're letting it!" she exclaimed. "You have to tell her."  
  
"I will try, but it seems whenever I have a chance to, we are arguing, or someone is here," Delemir muttered.  
  
"Or kissing," Emily put in with a smirk.  
  
Lissa yelled suddenly, a frightful hooting noise, and bounded back in the living room. Delemir stood immediately as he saw her run back into the living room. She sprinted towards him and had the world's largest grin on her face. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly. Then, she let him go and gave Emily the world's largest hug, all the while yelling, "Yes!"  
  
"What?" Emily demanded.  
  
Lissa did a quick, freakish happy dance before answering. "My publisher just called!" she yelled.  
  
"And?" Emily persisted when Lissa paused. 0 "Oh!" Lissa turned and kissed Delemir again. "They took my illustrations for my story!" she nearly screeched.  
  
"You mean you didn't have to pay anyone to draw for your story? That's great!" The two women embraced again quickly.  
  
"And, that's not all!"  
  
"What, what!" Emily wanted to know.  
  
"The company wants to know if I could do an older person's fantasy story with one of the same plots as my children's stories, just draw it out longer with more detail!"  
  
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Meliss!" Emily pulled Lissa into a hug again, but this one lasted longer.  
  
Delemir smiled as he watched the two women celebrate what was obviously something great. He felt bad because he didn't understand everything they were saying, but was happy for the woman he loved.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The celebrating of the deal for Lissa to write a bigger book aside from a child's story consisted of three glasses of cheap wine for each person, pizza, and loud, cheesy inspirational and rock music. There was a lot of talking and phone calls and philosophizing about what they would do when the book sold and for how much. It'd have to be a long book, they'd all agreed. With a lot of the good stuff. No, they'd disagreed on that one. No one would read her children's books if there were a lot of smut and all in her "big book," they'd said. It would set a bad impression.  
  
But, eventually, Emily road a taxi home, courtesy of Lissa, and it was eleven before the other two occupants of the house retired to their respective rooms.  
  
That night, they both dreamt of things coinciding about why Delemir was in Lissa's world.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cliff hanger! Yes, I am cruel. I take pride. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I do not own Phantom of the Opera, though I do own tapes of it and my parents saw the real thing a few years ago for their anniversary. I do not own the Grinch or the song by John Denver, though it really is a song. I do, however, own the food chopper used in this story because my mother bought it from a company she works for. I do own the philosophy of imagining what you're chopping up as someone's head because I really did think of it that day a few months ago. I do not write children books yet, and I can't draw people for beans, though I'm pretty good at still life pictures. Umm. I really do have the weirdest dreams in the world. We can compare! Email some of your strangest dreams, I'll email you mine if you like to see if I can top it. I had a really strange on the Sunday before Christmas about the Pirates of the Caribbean and Benjamin Franklin and his pot-bellied stove. Oh yeah...I don't own the song 'originally' from The Sound of Music, but it was redone on Moulin Rouge. I don't own either of those things, mind you. I'm a peasant compared to the cash those movies raked in, I believe. Heck, I'm a peasant anyway compared to a fast food place. Hehe.  
  
I've rambled enough. Please, tell me what you think of this chapter and if you think you've had stranger dreams than I have. The next chapter WILL contain the dreams. That is how I'm starting off. Enjoy!  
  
Blessed be, Lissa 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 (Whoopee!)  
  
The sheets were rumpled from tossing and turning. The full moon shone brightly through the open windows in the clear January sky, letting moonbeams fall onto the bed to show the outline of a small, feminine form under the covers. She rolled onto her side, whimpering slightly in her sleep. She grabbed the bedspread tightly and held on until her knuckles turned white as she flew through the air wildly in her dream.  
  
"Where am I!" she called out when she found she was standing on the ground. She was outside in the snow, but she felt nothing. Not the cold, or even warmth in her soft, thin nightgown. She looked around her and saw her house. Smoke was puffing out of the fireplace and the air smelled of cedar wood. Turning around again at the sound of a soft, cackling laugh, she saw a tall, handsome, and dark man. His long fall of black hair was bound in a tie behind him, and a black cloak rested on his shoulders. His midnight blue eyes were fixed on her.  
  
"You are inside of a dream," he told her. His voice was low and rumbling; melodic.  
  
"Whose-Whose dream?" Lissa ventured to ask.  
  
The man stepped forward slowly, his cloak billowing out behind him in a wind that neither of them felt. "Yours. This dream is what you wish for truly," he told her. "Come." He walked up the stairs to the porch and straight through the white fence.  
  
"How did you-How did you do that?" she wanted to know, going up the stairs as well. She stuck her hand out and touched the wooden gate, but didn't feel the cold she had expected to. "Why can't I go through it like you?"  
  
"The answer to your first question, you will learn in time. The second answer is that I imagined myself able to go through it, and I did. Imagine yourself able to go through the fence like a gentle breeze flows through the soft material of your nightdress," the man told her. He gestured to her peach nightgown as he spoke.  
  
Lissa looked down and then up again at him. He nodded and told her telepathically, 'Imagine yourself.' She shut her eyes and took a step forward through the gate. When she was on the other side, she laughed. "I did it!"  
  
"Yes, you did." The man spoke lowly, as if taking a mental note as he talked. "Come," he said again. Instead of going through the door, he opened it and stepped in. When Lissa walked behind him, he stopped and spun around to face her. "I will clap my hands, and you will be in your dream as someone taking part. You must be prepared for what you see. Are you ready?" "No. What do you mean 'be prepared' and 'someone taking part'? Will you still be here?" Lissa leaned against the banister, but fell through. "Holy crap." She stood up straight again and leaned back on her heels.  
  
"I will still be here, yes, but not in a way that other can interact with me. You will be the only one who can see me. Be careful when you speak to me," he told her and clapped his hands.  
  
"Wait! My other question!" Lissa shouted. She felt different. She looked down and saw she looked fatter in a bulky sweater and faded blue jeans. Her boots, slightly ancient and scarred, felt tight on her feet.  
  
"Honey, who are you talking to?" a firm male voice called. The body the voice belonged to stepped into the foyer and looked around.  
  
Lissa's eyes widened when she saw Delemir. He was dressed casually, and his blonde hair was cut normally as you would see any other man's hair. His ears weren't pointed.  
  
"No one," she said, in slight shock but forcing herself over it. "How are you?" Her question was as forced as her calm was.  
  
Delemir looked at her once more strangely, then, obviously deciding he had imagined her yelling, smiled. "I'm fine. How are you?" He stepped forward and placed his hand on her stomach. "Both of you?"  
  
'Both of us?' Lissa asked herself. She looked around her and saw the man still standing there, a grin on his face. "I'm-We're fine," she improvised, feeling sick suddenly. She lifted her hand to her forehead and tried to keep herself from swaying.  
  
"I remember once I said you'd be a great lawyer. I stand corrected, while you hardly stand at all. You are still a terrible liar." Delemir kissed her forehead beside her fingertips gently. "Come with me. You need to sit down. What did the doctor say?" he asked, leading her to the living room. There were toys scattered here and there on the floor and a little boy about six walked in, carrying a truck.  
  
"Mommy!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Hold on, Adam. Mommy and Daddy are talking. Can you go play in the other room?" Delemir requested.  
  
"Okay," Adam said.  
  
'I don't believe this,' Lissa thought to herself.  
  
"Well?" Delemir's calm voice intruded on her thoughts.  
  
"What? Well what?" Lissa shook her head and saw the man, looking odd in his dark donned clothes against the light colored walls.  
  
"What did the doctor say?" Delemir repeated, sitting beside her on the couch and nestling her head against his shoulder.  
  
Lissa looked to the man, standing in the corner by the fireplace, and felt desperate for anything. Then, a snatch of memory came to her. "He said everything's fine. We will have a healthy baby girl by July. Around my birthday," Lissa said, shocked. What was happening? Why was she dreaming this? Was this what she really wanted?  
  
"That's wonderful!" Delemir turned her to kiss her firmly on her lips. "What shall we name her?" he asked.  
  
"Genevieve," Lissa said at once. "I've always liked that name."  
  
Suddenly, the feeling of shock slowly dissipated and utter glee replaced it. The questions that had formed in her mind disappeared. "Genevieve it is. Genevieve Hogan." Delemir said if softly before he kissed Lissa again.  
  
Oh, everything felt so right. Everything felt so perfect, then and there. When Delemir drew away, he leaned back and surveyed the room. "Your artwork is brilliant, my love. I'm glad that you gave up writing to study art," he said. "I love you."  
  
'Wait, that doesn't fit,' Lissa told herself. 'I would never give up writing. Never, not for anything.'  
  
Looking around the room made her forget that thought slightly, but only press it to the back of her mind. There were scenes of a swan swimming in a lake with flowers around it, and two lovers embraced under a tree branch at the bank of the lake. On another drawing, there was a ballerina in a pirouette with a smile on her face. And yet another one was of herself and Delemir and Adam, all standing in front of the house together.  
  
"I love you," she heard herself say to Delemir. She stood and smiled. "I should work on my next piece of work to add to our collection. It's what I think Genevieve will look like when she's born. I just thought of drawing it."  
  
"Go, my love. I cleaned your studio for you upstairs. Everything is in order. If you need anything, ask me," Delemir said, sounding much like a Shakespearean actor.  
  
"Mommy, Mommy!" Adam cried as he ran in the room. "Uncle Ken is on TV! Come see, come see!" He lifted his small hand up for Lissa to take it.  
  
When she reached out, her hand went through his as a thought came to her mind again. 'What does my brother do for a living? What do I do for a living? Do I draw? What does Delemir do for a living? Clean our house? My house?' she thought.  
  
She looked in the corner where the man had previously been, smiling, and saw him looking infuriated.  
  
"Why am I here? I don't want this! I don't want to draw! I want to write!" she exclaimed.  
  
"My love, what are you talking about? I remember a few months after we married, you said you were going to give up writing for drawing. That was when we found out you were going to have Adam," Delemir said, looking at her in a concerned sort of way.  
  
"No, I didn't. I don't remember that. In fact, I don't remember having Adam, or being impregnated with him! I don't even remember being impregnated with this child I'm claimed to be carrying, Delemir! I don't remember marrying you or anything!"  
  
"Mommy, are you all right? Mommy, are you mad at Daddy?" the little child's voice came from below her.  
  
"I'm not your mommy, kid. You're just a figment of my imagination. So you are!" She pointed at Delemir as the room began to spin. "All of this is just my-Wait. No it isn't. You!" She whirled on the dark figure that was increasing by the minute. "This is all your doing! Let me out! Let me out! Let me go!" she cried, charging towards him.  
  
"I tried to let you have all you wanted, Melissa, but you had to think too much and be too logical! Now, you must pay!" the figure cried. He thrust his hands out and sent her flying against the wall. She hissed out a breath in pain as the scenery changed to a fiery court.  
  
"Bite me, Barbie boy!" she cried painfully as tears spilled over her cheeks from the pain. "This isn't what I want! You don't know what I want! Leave me alone!"  
  
She screamed loudly as she felt a searing heat through her body and increase over her stomach. Her body began to quake violently and she heard herself screaming repetitively, louder and harder each time. The sound was bloodcurdling.  
  
"You must pay!" the man yelled at her before he lifted his hands in the air.  
  
Then, Lissa felt a biting cold throughout her body, and she felt suddenly empty. She trembled not from pain, but from the cold she felt nipping at her that came from her bones. She felt the tears still running hot down her cheeks, but felt everything inside of her freeze.  
  
"Delemir," she whispered quietly before she blacked out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir sighed in his sleep as he turned in his bed. He pulled the flannel blanket tighter around him as he felt a slight chill go through him. Then, he felt his warmth restored through his body. A smile crept onto his lips as he dreamt.  
  
He was flying, the air whooshing around him swiftly, blowing his hair out of his face. He didn't feel cold, though, but still warm as he saw clouds around him. They were big and puffy and wet. He fell through one and his hair was damp, as were his clothes, but he didn't care. He was flying, so he was content.  
  
When he saw the land coming up to meet him quickly, but slowing gradually, he felt dismayed that the thrill couldn't have lasted longer. He landed on a rock that seemed familiar in some way to him. He looked around. He was in a deep wood. The light that filtered through the leaves above him was soft and a light green. The air around him was sweet and soft. He could nearly hear the trees growing around him.  
  
Delemir turned and saw Lothlórien around him. He also saw the Elves of his kind, but they were frozen in what they had been doing. Some were socializing with those around them; others were walking to or from the bathing pool. There were a few who were going to their flets to rest or to wake others up.  
  
'What time is it?' Delemir asked himself. He looked up and the sun was hidden in the sky.  
  
"It is whatever time you want it to be," a cold, nonchalant voice said from behind him.  
  
Delemir turned and saw a very familiar, dark cloaked figure. "You," he hissed.  
  
"Yes, me. I am thrilled you remember!" the man exclaimed, mock happy.  
  
"Who are you?" Delemir spat, hardly wanting to know but feeling that he needed to.  
  
"Some call me Morier (Dark One); others, such as yourself, would call me Onagurtha (Giver of Death). But the name I was bestowed with at birth is Onaumbar (Giver of Fate)," he said.  
  
Delemir sneered. "Fate? What is my fate to be then? To live in a world that I am unfamiliar with for the rest of my life with a woman I love whom I cannot be with for eternity since she is a mortal?" he spat.  
  
Onaumbar threw his head back and laughed. "You always were good for a laugh, Delemir," the death giver said.  
  
"You-"  
  
"Yes, I have watched you your entire life. As with all of the other Elves I killed when I stole your soul from you. But, it was a pity I couldn't take it with me. The Valar wouldn't allow me to. They said you had 'too much time left to live for' and you had 'love to find.' So, they sent you to your woman's world. There, you would fall in love with her and live for all you had left with her happily ever after." Onaumbar didn't sound exactly thrilled with the plan of the Valar.  
  
"Lissa," Delemir said quietly. "Have you done anything to her? Have you harmed her? If you have touched her, I will make sure you come to an end!" Delemir attempted to charge the man, but invisible confines kept him where he was.  
  
"Be silent, Elf. I am thinking." Onaumbar paced the ground. "Let me see. I let your woman live how she wished, so I will let you live how you wish here in Lothlórien. Does that sound like a fair deal?" he asked, looking at Delemir.  
  
"You are the most nefarious creature that has ever walked this planet!" Delemir hissed, spitting at the man's feet.  
  
"You dare insult me!" Onaumbar merely made a motion with his hand and Delemir felt as if he had been backhanded by a freight train's engine going ninety miles an hour. "Next time, watch what you say, or it will not be you whom I force the payment of your life on," the figure said lowly. "I am not one to let down my promises." Delemir was still pulling himself back from the shock of the force that he had been hit with. He reached up to see if he was bleeding and winced from the slightest touch on his cheek. He wasn't bleeding, but his face hurt terribly. "Now, if we are done conversing," Onaumbar said loudly, hovering in the air. "I believe it is time you lived in Lothlórien again." He clapped his hands and two little Elflings ran past Delemir.  
  
Delemir looked up and saw the world he formerly lived in moving quickly around him.  
  
"I will not believe this! You are trying to trick me! I will not let you!" Delemir shouted, looking up. He heard a menacing laugh all around him.  
  
"Delemir, my friend. Who are you shouting at?" One of the Elves Delemir had been friends with before coming to DC touched his arm.  
  
"Leave me alone," Delemir said, jumping away from the touch. "This is all fake. You are fake, Lothlórien is fake. This is a dream!"  
  
"Are you ill, Delemir? Why are you yelling? We are not fake," another Elf said. He looked at Delemir with concern.  
  
"Yes, you are. I am not ill. I am not sick. I am not crazy! This is fake! Let me wake up! Let me out of here! I do not wish to be here anymore. I love Melissa. I wish to be with her." Delemir sank to his knees slowly and lifted his hands to the sides of his face. "Let me go back to her. Now." A tear spilled over his cheek, then another and another.  
  
"You will not leave without a mark!" the, oh, so dreadfully familiar voice shouted. Delemir felt a familiar heat in his body. The same one he had felt when he had been alive in Lothlórien. The heat was accentuated with a blinding flash of pain deep in his heart. His pulse sped up. His heart raced and jumped in his chest. Then the numbing cold ran through him.  
  
"No!" Delemir screamed.  
  
Delemir sprang upright in his bed and heard a shriek from downstairs. He tried to move, but felt his heart in pain that it caused his eyes to fill. Ignoring the blinding pain, he jumped out of the bed and stumbled to the floor. He heard another shriek and forced himself to stand.  
  
"I'm coming, Melissa," he said quietly. "I'm coming." He repeated that to himself as a chant and limped to the door. He threw it open and heard every dog in the neighborhood barking loudly, as if they knew of the evil around them.  
  
Delemir nearly fell down the steps, but he reached the ground floor, the pain in his heart never subsiding or crossing over to worse. It was a constant throb that felt like a hole was being drilled in him. It was nearly unbearable, but he forced himself to carry on and go to Lissa.  
  
She screamed again as he was at her door. Her cry was terrible, as if someone was attempting to murder her.  
  
"No, no! Leave me alone!" she cried.  
  
Delemir hurried to her bedside and sat down beside her. "Lissa! Melissa, wake up! Open your eyes and look at me, Melissa!" he demanded. He took her shoulders in his hands and shook her.  
  
That was when he felt the tears around her. How long had she been like this? How long had she been screaming? How long had tears welled in her eyes and spilled from under her closed eyelids?  
  
"Melissa, wake up," he yelled to her.  
  
Instantly, as if a trigger had been pulled, her eyes shot open and darted around the room. She had been in the midst of yelling Delemir's name when her eyes focused on him.  
  
"Delemir," she whispered, barely audible. She sat up and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Delemir!" She sobbed against his shoulder, still feeling the numbing cold inside of her.  
  
Delemir gently rubbed her back, but stopped when she tensed against him and hissed the words 'It hurts' between her teeth.  
  
He rubbed her hair instead, and pressed a kiss to her cheek where a tear was. He held her tighter against him and let her head rest on the spot between the top of his chest and his chin.  
  
"Shh, shh, shh," he soothed when she continued to sob his name. "I'm here. I'm here."  
  
Lissa attempted to take a breath, but it only came in as a sobbing gasp for air. She clung tighter to Delemir, unwilling to let go. Her breathing was still sobs, but she tried to calm it. Delemir tried to calm her, too, best she could. He took a shuddered breath and felt Lissa go pliant against him, her breathing calmer finally.  
  
Lissa still hiccuped, but she could breathe. Though each time she took a breath of air, it felt like her throat was set on fire. She snuggled closer to Delemir for warmth.  
  
"Blanket," she said quietly.  
  
Delemir reached behind him and pulled the quilt she kept folded at the foot of her bed around them. He laid them both down and pulled all of the blankets over both of them. He pulled Lissa close against him and felt her shiver.  
  
"I dreamed, Delemir. I had a terrible dream," Lissa managed to whisper to him. "At first, it seemed like a great dream, with everything I wanted," she continued without persuasion. But she stopped for a moment, remembering their status in the dream. The man had said that was what she truly wanted. Was it?  
  
"What? What else?" Delemir asked, still stroking her hair. He kissed her cheek again gently and held her; just held her.  
  
"You were in my dream, Delemir. You and I were married, and we had children. We had a son named Adam. I was carrying another child, our daughter, named Genevieve." She felt Delemir wince slightly, but continue to hold her close. "I remember I came inside, and you asked me how I was. I said I was fine, but I was a little dizzy. You took me to sit down in the living room. It was this house, Delemir. This house, here." Because she felt like she was going to cry again, Lissa took a shuddered breath.  
  
"There was artwork all on the walls, but I didn't notice it until later. Adam came in, ecstatic to see me, but you told him we were talking. He went back into the dining room, or my room-Oh, Lord, in here!-and you asked me what the doctor said that day. I felt a wave of panic. I couldn't remember anything for a split second, then it all came to me. The doctor had said the baby was fine and I would be due by my birthday in July.  
  
"Then, you kissed me and looked around the room. You said you were glad that I had given up writing for art. You told me you loved me." Lissa paused and let a tear fall down her cheek since she knew it could never be. "I thought that it couldn't be right," she continued a moment later, "that I would give up writing, my passion from age twelve, to draw, something I'm not that good at. I saw these pictures of things I had drawn-of people, which I can't draw for anything." She sighed audibly.  
  
"After looking around, you kissed me again and everything felt so right. I stood up and announced I felt like drawing what I thought Genevieve would look like when she would be born. You said you had cleaned by studio, then Adam came in, saying my brother was on the television. Then, the thought came to be as I tried to take Adam's little hand." Lissa's voice cracked as she remembered the dream, the feeling of actually seeing something that was part her, of feeling something inside of her. "My hand passed through him, and I knew I couldn't remember what my brother did for a living. Then, I couldn't remember anything-anything about us, about Adam, about when we were married and everything!"  
  
Lissa took a few calming breaths before letting out a helpless whimper. "You do not have to tell me if you can't, Melissa," Delemir told her, shocked by the vividness of the dream.  
  
"No," she insisted, her voice weak. "No," she repeated, stronger. "Then the dark figure-" Delemir jumped at that, but would wait until she was finished speaking "-that had told me that...all of that in my dream was what I really wanted, he looked furious. He told me that he tried to let me have everything I wanted, but that I thought too much about it. He said that I must pay."  
  
Then she lost it. She sobbed again. "Then, I remember this blinding heat going throughout my entire body. It hurt so bad, Delemir. It hurt. I still hurt, still feel it inside of me." A sob racked through her body. "I looked at the man and-" She broke off in a sob. "I looked at him and he lifted his hands in the air. Then, I felt so cold. So terribly cold, I thought I would die. Then, I felt so empty, like there was nothing left in me to keep me going to or to live for. It felt awful. I still feel it. I want it to go away."  
  
Delemir suddenly felt a wave of fury go through him. He had taken Lissa in a dream of what may have seemed reality for a short while, would have seemed real. He had let her live a lie. Delemir would make sure it was Onaumbar who paid. Delemir zoned back in when he heard a knock at the door in the foyer.  
  
"Lissa," he murmured, feeling her move away from him.  
  
She sighed, knowing that she couldn't let the door go unanswered at three- thirty in the morning. It must have been important. "I'll be right back," she told Delemir and slipped out of bed and into a robe. She walked through the house quickly to the front door. Looking through the curtains, she saw her neighbor, Alan. She quickly opened the door.  
  
"Are you all right, Lissa?" he asked as soon as he stepped in. He took Lissa's hands and felt the cold.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She faked a yawn so it would seem like he had woken her.  
  
"Well, for one, I'm three houses away and I heard you screaming bloody murder. Then, every dog in the neighborhood is barking their heads off, and it seems you've only woken now," Alan said, lifting an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh," Lissa murmured. "Well, maybe some kid down the block is blowing one of those whistles only dogs can here into a loudspeaker."  
  
Alan sighed, grinning wryly to himself. "You always were strange when waking in the middle of the morning," he said. "We both know that's highly unlikely. Why were you screaming?"  
  
Lissa sighed; "I had a weird, frightful dream."  
  
"You always have weird, frightful dreams," Alan told her.  
  
"This one was different." She shivered at the memory. "More vivid, almost as if it weren't a dream but a reality and a truth. It was strange."  
  
"Well, if you need anything, come see me, all right?"  
  
"Sure." Lissa smiled.  
  
"'Night." Alan waved then disappeared into the night to go back to his house.  
  
Lissa sighed as she shut and locked the door. She turned, leaning against the door heavily. She felt her body begin to shake violently. All rational thought left her mind and all she should think of was the dream. What had kept her out of shock while she had been talking to Alan? She didn't know.  
  
"Lissa?"  
  
She heard Delemir's voice in the darkness beside her. She jolted at that, and brought her hand to her heart. Taking a shuddering breath, she attempted to calm herself.  
  
"I still feel it," she whispered. "I still feel it."  
  
"I know. He came to me too. But, I do not believe he scared me as he did you," Delemir murmured, taking Lissa into his embrace. He felt her quaking against him and leaning away from him. He only held her tighter then.  
  
Lissa pulled herself from Delemir's embrace and they walked into the kitchen. Lissa, in an attempt to keep her cool, brought out the makings of coffee and set up the percolator. She sat down in a chair at the bar, finally in control of keeping herself from shaking too terribly.  
  
"What did you dream?" Lissa asked finally as she heard the percolator bubbling.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" Delemir looked up from the spot he was staring at on the floor. He was standing in the threshold of the door between the kitchen and the dining room.  
  
"You said he came to you, too. What did he make you believe?" Lissa repeated, letting her gaze stray to his.  
  
"He did not make me believe anything. I refused to for I knew it was not real. But, he set me back in Lórien among those I previously knew when I lived there."  
  
Lissa stood and walked to him. She felt a wave of sympathy for him, knowing how hard it must have been to go back to a place he had lived in his entire life, but to only go back in a dream. She lifted a hand to his cheek and felt him wince.  
  
"Sorry," he murmured, taking her hand in his.  
  
"What is it?" Lissa drew her hand from his and let her fingertips glide over the redness in his skin.  
  
"In my dream, he...he used his evil against me. It was as though I was backhanded," Delemir said quietly, wanting to draw away from the pain, but knew Lissa had to touch, had to feel.  
  
"Is he aloud to do that? I read a book once, when I was younger that was sort of like this where the bad guy wasn't aloud to touch-"  
  
"You worry too much." He took her hand in his again and brought it to his lips. "Don't."  
  
Lissa sighed as the percolator finished bubbling. She walked away from Delemir to the cabinet for a mug. "Do you want coffee?" she asked him.  
  
"I have never tried it," Delemir answered, still leaning in the threshold.  
  
"Pitiful. You can try it some other time, then, since it's never good to try coffee out for the first time under stress." Lissa filled her mug then added sugar and milk. As she stirred it, she moved to set it on the bar where she had been sitting. "I wonder..." She trailed off then stood slowly. She walked over to Delemir and surveyed him in an easy once over.  
  
"What are you-"  
  
"Shh, I'm thinking." Running him over once more, she let out a breath. "Are you sure he didn't hurt you in any other way than this?" She lifted her hand to his cheek and let it linger a mere half inch away.  
  
Delemir sighed, remembering his entire dream. It had been so vivid, so real. No, that was what Onaumbar wished for him to believe. It wasn't real. It was as fake as any other dream.  
  
'What if this is a dream?' a cold voice rang in his head, causing him to feel the deathly familiar pain in his chest.  
  
He looked down at Lissa, saw the concern in her eyes, and took her small hand in his. "Yes," he murmured quietly. He brought her hand over his heart and let it rest there.  
  
Lissa immediately felt the racing of Delemir's heart. She also felt the heat, the pain, there. She concentrated hard, trying to filter his pain into her.  
  
It worked.  
  
She suddenly felt a horrible feeling just over her heart, but ignored it. It was soft, though, compared to what she knew Delemir was experiencing. Or had experienced, she mused.  
  
Unable to contain herself any longer, she leaned forward and snaked her arms around his neck. She pressed her cheek against his and sighed. "I'm sorry," she murmured.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"You once told me you were sorry for the hurt I felt, since it still hurts, and that I was hurt. I guess I'm going to tell you the same thing." Though Lissa tried not to cry, it was in vain. "I'm sorry it hurts, Delemir," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I wish I could help you, but I can't."  
  
"Shh. There is nothing either of us can do. We only need to find out why, exactly, I was sent here and what I was sent here for." Though Delemir already knew. He wasn't going to tell her yet.  
  
"All right," Lissa murmured, sniffling and pulling away. She kissed Delemir's cheek gently and sat down to brood over her coffee at four in the morning.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ta-da! The dreams! Finally! Like or no? DISCLAIMER: Still, as was the last time I check, I do not own anything from the Lotr world. But I do, however, own Connor (he's gone. He was getting annoying, so I rid us of him), Onaumbar (evil as he is :D), Alan (as briefly as he was shown here), the percolator Lissa used (it's downstairs in my kitchen), and the house in Lissa's dream. To answer any questions that may come up (and just because I feel like being odd), I'll state the obvious here. I cannot draw people. I can do landscapes and still life shots, but not people. I do have a brother named Ken, of which he is a waiter (or a cook) at a restaurant right now (So unless he turned into an actor in the future nine years, he'll be a computer programmer probably or something I haven't the faintest idea of.). Mmm. That's all I can think of. Next chapter, I don't know what it'll contain. Bouncing ideas from this and that and things I do at home. Enjoy!  
  
Blessed be, Lissa 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
Lissa woke early in the morning still, slowly returning to consciousness. A smile crept onto her face. Why? It may have been because she awoke feeling warm, when she usual woke cold in January. Or, it might have been because she awoke feeling completely safe, when she had thought she'd have woken up traumatized from her dream last night. But, quite frankly, she didn't care why she felt warm and safe-as long as she could keep those feelings a little longer.  
  
As she regained more feeling in her sleep-numbed body, Lissa snuggled closer and felt strong arms around her, nearly at her hips. That may have been her safe feeling. Why was someone holding her in her sleep?  
  
When the feeling returned to her entire body, she felt her long, slender legs tangled with another pair of legs. Lissa was laying against-ON- something or someone with a very firm, bare body with soft, warm flesh. She tilted her head a little and brushed against something hard, but it wasn't the headboard on her bed.  
  
Immediately, as if a trigger had been set off by the contact, the arms around Lissa tightened more and she felt a kissed pressed against her ear. Then, she felt soft nibbling there. The voice she heard next was right at her ear.  
  
"'Morning," Delemir murmured.  
  
The smile still on Lissa's face widened. "Good morning," she replied, tracing a lazy pattern over Delemir's bare shoulder.  
  
"Sleep well?" he asked her.  
  
Oh, this felt so right. How many times had they woken in the morning together?  
  
"Great." Lissa tilted her head up for a kiss when she felt something move in her stomach. Then flashbacks of her dream came to her. As soon as their lips parted, Lissa shied away and sprang out of the bed, leaning in a corner. "No, not again, no," she whispered, running her hands over her face.  
  
"Melissa, what is it?" Delemir asked, slipping of her bed and trapping her against the wall. He took her hands in his, but she drew them away quickly.  
  
"No, this is a dream. Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" She shook her head and willed the tears that raced to burn behind her eyes to go away, but they only fell down her cheeks. "I said I was through with your illusions! Let me wake up! This isn't what I want! I want to be home again with Delemir! I lo-"  
  
"Melissa!" Delemir took her arms in his hands and shook her fiercely. He saw her eyes focus on him slowly. Then, he said calmly, "This isn't a dream. This is real. Onaumbar does not have you in an illusion. I insisted to stay with you the rest of the night in case he did, but he didn't. You are safe."  
  
The shock in Lissa's face let him think she believed differently.  
  
"If this were a dream about everything you wanted in you life, would it be true that you didn't have the car you prized so much because you wrecked it in an accident? That your neighbor, Alan, came over after you woke up to check on you when you hate people checking on you? If you were in one of the Death Giver's illusions, you would have the car you loved so much, and no one would check on you unless you wished them to." Delemir rubbed his hands up and down her arms gently, trying to restore warmth to her.  
  
"But...I feel-I feel-" She trailed off, letting her hand rest on her stomach. "In my dream, I was carrying a child. This could be an illusion and you're only telling me differently because-"  
  
"It could be, yes. You'll never know unless you open your eyes to see the truth. But I swear to you on pain of death that this is not an illusion. Do you believe me?"  
  
Lissa took a long, shuddered, and reassuring breath. She nodded as she let it out. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I believe you." But her hand stayed over her stomach. Delemir let his hand rest over hers.  
  
"And that feeling deep in the pit of your stomach you are experiencing. Do you want to know what it is?" Delemir fought back a grin as Lissa nodded feebly. "It is not a child, Melissa. There is no one here to do that since Elves save that for marriage. You're hungry." Now, Delemir let his grin show at the new shock that appeared on Lissa's face, the realization finally hitting her.  
  
Lissa shut her eyes and sighed. "I feel really, really stupid now that I've embarrassed myself at-" She glanced at the clock "-seven in the morning.  
  
Delemir laughed. "I'm sure you do." He leaned forward and rubbed his lips over hers. "Let's go make breakfast," Delemir suggested.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa fell onto her bed and stared up out of her window. The snow from winter was finally gone, and the realization fully hit her that she'd had her two casts off a few days ago. She felt so light now. Turning on her side, Lissa thought about everything that had happened in the past twenty- four hours.  
  
She had accepted the fact that she loved Delemir, but it'd be next to impossible to keep him with her. That was a big one. Next, she accepted the fact that this 'Onaumbar' guy, or whatever Delemir had called him, was just taking a stand, or at least a bigger one, in this 'quest' she and Delemir had set off to finish. What was in Onaumbar's bonnet that made him so persnickety about translating some dreams or figuring out some riddles?  
  
Third, it wasn't a good idea to go into shock at seven in the morning. It tired you out really quickly. That's why it was ten and she was ready for a nap. What else? She was missing something, but she couldn't figure it out.  
  
Right before she was able to put her thumb on the correct answer, her phone rang. She reached over and mumbled a lazy "Hello" into the speaker.  
  
"Are you still asleep at this hour?" It was Emilie.  
  
"No. I've been up since seven," Lissa said, turning on her back again. "I'm just ready for a nap. Long night."  
  
"Why seven? I thought I was the only person who woke up at seven on Saturdays," Emilie wondered.  
  
"Saturday?" Lissa groaned. "No. It can't be Saturday already, can it?"  
  
"I'm afraid it is, love. What's wrong with it being Saturday? Didn't you used to love Saturdays?"  
  
"Yes, I still do, but today's my mom's birthday, and tomorrow is my sister's birthday. Holy crap, Kasey'll be fourteen," Lissa murmured.  
  
"Wow. How old will your mom be?" Emilie grinned.  
  
"Fire hazard." Lissa smirked. "Shopping, cards, driving to the post office in the crappiest car I've ever driven, phone calls, explanations are all on my list. See you on death row."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Bye."  
  
They ended the conversation and Lissa pulled a pillow over her head. "More Care Bears and chocolate liquor bottles. Whoopee."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir felt slightly puzzled when he was climbing out of the old, slightly rusty compact car Lissa claimed she hadn't driven in over two years (she had proven it when it hadn't started up without her neighbor's help) and out into the mall parking lot. She had seemed a little unnerved and ticked off when she'd sat in the car, grumbling at the smell.  
  
"I need a new car!" she'd said. "Going to buy one next week."  
  
Now, they were walking into Pentagon City Mall, and she seemed quite happier now that they were there. She obviously had plans.  
  
"Okay. First, let's put the tedious out of the way. We're going to go to Godiva or Lindt, find some chocolate for my mom, then to a kids' place to find Care Bears for my sister," she said. "Then, we're going to go back home, pack them in boxes marked 'fragile' and go to the post office to demand they be sent on speed delivery to my parents' house. Tomorrow, we'll go on my monthly splurge for shopping, or at least it's monthly when I take a good pay home."  
  
"Sounds fun," Delemir commented.  
  
"The last part about shopping, yes, is always fun!" she exclaimed cheerily, walking ahead of him and to an elevator.  
  
Five minutes later, they were going on another elevator to the top floor (from the level about the metro level) to go to the kids' place. After about fifteen minutes of searching, Lissa unearthed a pink Care Bear. She paid for it, and asked to have it wrapped. That was four extra dollars on the fifteen for the doll. After a quick, discrete roll of her eyes, Lissa and Delemir were on their way back home to wrap and pack the chocolate.  
  
"That was the quickest I've ever seen you shop for anything, even things of your own accord of which I found a little unnerving when you were purchasing them at the front," Delemir said.  
  
Lissa shot him a keen, knowing, and extremely wry look as she said, "Well, today is my mother's birthday, and tomorrow is my sister's birthday. I forgot it was actually Saturday today, and would have done this earlier, but like I said, I forgot. Sue me. Come on." They pulled up and Lissa jumped out of the old, busted, wannabe car. Lissa made a run to the house, leaving Delemir behind, and to her frightful storage closet.  
  
"Lissa?" Delemir asked when he made it inside.  
  
"Help?" She tossed a medium sized box over her head aimlessly. "Sorry!" she said when she heard a loud thunk as it hit Delemir someplace.  
  
Delemir rolled his eyes and shut the door. He walked up to Lissa and stopped directly behind her. He hesitated a moment, then hooked his arm around her waist, lifting her up in the air as she jumped and laughed.  
  
"Delemir!" she squealed. She laughed and screamed as Delemir dragged her into the living room. He attempted to toss her on the couch, but she slithered from his grasp before he reached it and she fell onto the floor, laughing like a maniac. "Help?" she asked again, a wry smile on her face again. She thrust her hand up to him as if she really wanted help.  
  
"Of course." Delemir took her hand and began to pull, but Lissa pulled him down quicker than he could react. He fell over her, but kept his fall light as he straddled her waist gently. This pulled another scream from Lissa.  
  
"Delemir!" She laughed again, fluidly, like a trail of water was falling from a thin cloth, about to break through to a waterfall or a flood.  
  
Lissa lifted her upper body, from her shoulders to her head, up, but Delemir let his hands rest at her shoulders to keep her down. He leaned over her, and rubbed his lips against hers.  
  
Her eyes fluttered closed as another laugh bubbled up, but was stifled against Delemir's lips. When he drew back, he was smiling.  
  
"I still need to pack those boxes," Lissa murmured after a moment of regaining her thoughts. It was a hard task, gathering one's thoughts, after being kissed by a man such as Delemir.  
  
"Yes, you do." Delemir slipped off of her and helped her up. "Do you still want help on that?"  
  
"Of course. You can hand me the tape." Lissa went back into the foyer for the boxes and tape and gifts and sat down in the middle of the floor.  
  
After going through the tedious task of packing boxes, as she'd learned from her father, she drove them to the post office and demanded they be sent speed deliver to her mom and sister. It took persuasion, but after a few 'if-you-think-I'm-giving-up-you're-dead-wrong' looks, Lissa was on her way out back to her house to call her mom and sister.  
  
"Kasey, let me talk to Mom," Lissa said, sitting at a bar chair in the kitchen.  
  
"Are you coming down for our birthdays?" Kasey asked, ignoring Lissa's demand.  
  
"Has your blonde hair grown back from when your friend cut it almost ten years ago?" Lissa murmured, knowing that'd do the trick. Upon the silence, but no yelling in the background, Lissa added, "You know, I could always write up a book like Emily is doing about the weird things her family has done, and I'll make sure that's one of the more humorous ones in there, with all the detail of your condition, Pretty-in-Pink. Put mom on the phone for me."  
  
"Wasn't my fault I had Fifths Disease. It was Travis'. Hold on," Kasey said and ran off. "Mom!"  
  
Seconds later, Lissa was talking to her mother. "Hi mom. I really hate to say this, but I can't come down for your birthday, or Kasey's, because I have to work on this deal and help Delemir out with his-his home and all. I'll come down as soon as I can, though, to see you guys." Lissa held her breath for a minute. She heard her mother's response and let out a relieved breath.  
  
"But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be let off easy," Lissa said with her mom. "I sent you guys gifts. They should be there by tonight. You can enjoy yours while Kasey cuddles with hers tomorrow night."  
  
"Another Care Bear?" her mother asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Melissa, your sister is fourteen. Buy her something more grown up for once?"  
  
"Why? She enjoys Care Bears, doesn't she?"  
  
"Melissa." Her mother's voice was firm and held that no-nonsense only a mother could have.  
  
"Okay. Next year: Horses. I promise. No Care Bears; only horses for the next birthday." She waited a beat. "Does that mean that chocolate is becoming repetitive? Should I go to Victoria's Secret and-"  
  
"No," her mom interrupted hastily. "You father is still in shock to learn you actually bought something like you did at that place." She added the last bit in an undertone.  
  
"I'm twenty-two. I'm a big girl. Besides, it's not like I plan on showing anybody soon," Lissa said with a smirk. Her watched beeped the hour. "Mom, bathtime. My radio show is on and I want to listen it in the tub, so I'll talk to you later. Happy birthday."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too. Tell Dad and Kasey I love them, and happy birthday to Kasey, too."  
  
"I will."  
  
"Bye!"  
  
Lissa hung up the phone and sighed. Twelve o'clock. Time for her favorite radio station and a full, hot, steaming tub with a glass of wine.  
  
Walking into her room, Lissa picked out two black hair sticks and wrapped her hair, jabbing the wooden chopstick looking things into the tight roll of hair. She went into the kitchen and brought out a wineglass and the Merlot. No, she thought, Zinfandel. Grinning, she poured the white wine into the glass and sipped. Laughing at herself, she picked up her book and the portable radio and made her way upstairs.  
  
"Delemir!" she hollered at the first landing.  
  
"Yes?" He poked his head out of his door.  
  
"If the phone rings, answer it. I'm immobilized unless it's either of the Emilys or Connor. I need to know if he made it back to Manhattan to his woman safely. Bye." She waved and turned the opposite direction down the hall.  
  
"Whe-Where are you going?" Delemir stammered. He ran after her.  
  
"Bathtime. Weekly radio shows. You're normally asleep when it comes on. I indulge in a bath and an hour of listening to opera singers. Today they're supposed to be doing one of my favorites, which will be two hours. I'll see you when I come back from 1861." She leaned forward and gave him a noisy kiss on his mouth. "Bye." Then she slammed the door.  
  
Setting the radio down, she turned it to the classical music station to hear the beginnings of the opera and started filling the tub. She stripped off her clothes and what jewelry she wore. Sighing as her hair came undone, she twisted it again and stuck the hair sticks in the knot of hair again.  
  
Just as she did that, she looked up in the mirror and saw that guy- Onaumbar. A scream caught in her throat. She whirled around and saw nothing. Cursing her overactive imagination and recent memory of traumatic dreams, she pressed her hand to her forehead and felt a bead of sweet pearl there and skim down her skin from the surprise.  
  
"Good thing I didn't pee on myself," she murmured. Laughing, she moved her book beside the tub-just in case the show was cancelled-and set her wine glass on a stool beside the tub. She dipped her toe into the water as it reached a few inches below the lip of the tub; she grinned at the heat.  
  
She stepped in, causing the water to rise with the hundred and ten pounds she had for a ballerina. She let the water slosh around her as she sank to lie down.  
  
And thus was the beginning of a great mistake.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
An hour and a half later, love was being professed and death was in the air. A deathly choice was to be made between a lover's life and spending her own with the dark Phantom whom had abducted them both. The tension was high; Lissa loved it, even though she was out of wine. Feeling slightly dizzy from the heat of the tub, she closed her eyes and dreamt.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa turned on her side, mumbling lightly in her sleep. She rolled over onto a firm, hard-muscled body. She heard the soft laughing of a male merged with her own. She felt the weight of another body pressed over hers tightly. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled.  
  
"I love you," Delemir told her.  
  
"I love you too." She leaned up and brushed her lips against his.  
  
"Our first Christmas with Genevieve," he murmured, letting his lips blaze a trail along her neck.  
  
"Yep." Lissa brushed her hand across Delemir's bare back and felt his muscles quiver. "Some things never change."  
  
"While others do." Delemir rested his hand against her stomach when he rolled onto his side. "I'm glad this did." He leaned over and kissed her still-swollen belly from carrying Genevieve.  
  
"I swear, I'm never going to fit into a leotard again," Lissa joked, feeling her heart rate speed up, still, under Delemir's touch.  
  
"You will. And you'll look beautiful, like you always do," he told her. He kissed her lips softly. "Merry Christmas."  
  
"Merry Christmas to you too." She stretched, as was her habit in the mornings now, like a cat against Delemir and laughed. "I'm going to go take a bath, then we can do the whole present thing, okay love?" she asked.  
  
"Of course. Let the kids sleep for a while?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Delemir grinned as Lissa stepped out of bed and into the bathroom. She showered quickly, soon joined by the blonde haired man she loved. When they were both dry and dressed, they went upstairs to wake up the two munchkins. Delemir woke Adam and Lissa gently cradled Genevieve in her arms, murmuring sweet, incoherent nonsense things that brought a baby laugh from the three-month-old child.  
  
"Presents!" Adam exclaimed.  
  
"Shh," Lissa said quietly, touching his nose. "You're six years old, Adam, my love. You should know that mommies and daddies and little sisters aren't always as awake as you are in the mornings."  
  
Adam laughed, even as Delemir scooped him up and they all went downstairs. Lissa sat with Genevieve on the couch, nursing the child. Delemir gave Adam the first present to open, and so was the beginning of that Christmas.  
  
Later that evening, when they had laid Adam and Genevieve down for their naps, Lissa collapsed onto the couch with Delemir.  
  
"I love you still," Lissa said, stroking her hand across his cheek. "But today was hectic."  
  
"The first Christmas with Adam was hectic too." Delemir kissed her cheek gently.  
  
"I guess it's the first ones, then?" Lissa grinned.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Then, a thought came to the back of her mind, slowly trying to make it's way up to the front. It caused the shapes in the dream to become slightly distorted and the colors off. Delemir's voice sounded different, almost watery or distant. But a moment later, everything became the way it had been again.  
  
"Lissa, are you all right?" Delemir asked, seeing the glazed expression on her face.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy. The day's festivities are catching up with me," she murmured, laying her head back all the way.  
  
She tried to figure out that thought-that one thought that seemed like it was a key to a lock she had been trying to open, but had only been hacking at it with a blunt axe. What was that thought? What did it have to do with? What significance did it carry so she was trying to figure it out as she was? Who did it concern? Adam, Genevieve, Delemir, Lissa? All of them?  
  
Then it came to her: How did they finance income?  
  
It seemed a silly time to think of that, but it was quite important. This was a big house. There were about twenty gifts under the tree that morning, and there was expensive furniture in every room and loads of food in the kitchen. There were plenty of toys for Genevieve and Adam, and more than enough of the necessities for Genevieve. How did they manage all of that? Her artwork couldn't hold them stable that easily, could it?  
  
"Melissa?" Delemir's voice cut through the distorted shapes around Lissa, and the sounds. "Melissa, are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, I said I was fine," she insisted.  
  
Then Genevieve began crying, and Adam could be heard amidst her cries. The shapes and colors of the room around Lissa were blotched and merging, mixing and bleeding. It made Lissa dizzy.  
  
"It's him," she murmured, sitting up on the couch. "He's trying to trick me again."  
  
Then she heard the opera singers in the background, and the music rumbling the speakers on...on what? What was it playing on? Was she at an opera house and listening to it? Was she in her car, blacked out and dying and hearing the music?  
  
Then she heard sirens, mixed with wild applause over the music. She heard voices, either real ones or over walkie-talkies. There were people sobbing about this and that, and one particular voice that caught her ear.  
  
"This girl is dying," the sorrowful male voice said. Lissa knew it was pertaining to her.  
  
"No!" she shouted, springing up from the water she'd slipped under. There was applause on the radio for the ending of the performance; there were sirens outside on the main road about an accident-they would be talking about it on the radio in a minute. Then, she heard the sound of her own rapid breathing and heartbeat.  
  
Nothing bothering to drain the tub or dry her hair, Lissa pulling on her robe and belted it. She quickly unlocked the door, fumbling with the lock. When she opened the door, she ran down the hall to Delemir's room and burst in. He was asleep for his evening snooze.  
  
"Delemir!" she yelled, but heard it as a sob. He shot up in the bed, his eyes immediately focussing on her.  
  
"What? What is it?" He stood up and ran over to her as her knees buckled and she began to fall forward.  
  
"He-He had me again! He took me into a dream again! I could feel it-all of it. I could hear the noise, the baby's cries and the wrapping paper. Oh, I could hear your voice in my dream. You were in it again!"  
  
Delemir pulled her over to his bed and eased her down on it. He sat next to her and held her tight against him, her hair dripping beads of water still.  
  
"Shh, shh, shh," he soothed. "Calm down first, my love. Calm down first." He kissed her hair and felt her shiver.  
  
"He tried to kill me, Delemir. He led me into a dream and kept me there. When I woke up, I was under the water. He tried to kill me," she repeated, sobbing against Delemir's chest. "Why would he do that? Isn't he after you?"  
  
That triggered something in Delemir's mind. Onaumbar was after him, yes. But how would he try to kill him this time? He had conquered him physically before, but who or what said he wouldn't try again? The Death Giver had slain him mentally for a short time when he had first arrived. Delemir had thought he was dead and in the Halls of Mandos. Then there was only one significant place left.  
  
His heart.  
  
The familiar throbbing in his heart came back as he felt Lissa shake from fear in his arms. The fear that Onaumbar had given her. Onaumbar would try to harm Lissa, take her away from Delemir. He wouldn't have it.  
  
"Shh, shh." Delemir touched Lissa's cheek gently. "You are safe now. I have you. Lie down," he told her gently. When she did, he pulled the quilt over her shivering form.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked when he attempted to leave.  
  
"To find a towel for your hair. It's wet," he told her. She nodded as he left.  
  
As Delemir stepped into the bathroom, he felt it. He felt the presence there. It was strong, and not easily denied, even by someone who didn't and wouldn't believe in all of this. He admitted it was all slightly crazy, yes, but that didn't mean he didn't have to believe in it, or Lissa either. They both knew it was real. They both knew it because they'd both felt it.  
  
When he returned to his room with a towel and sat down beside he Lissa on the bed, she was still in shock, but obviously warmer now. He began to dry her hair gently with the towel.  
  
Lissa sighed out a long, quiet breath. She was afraid. She was deathly afraid now. She was afraid of being alone. God knew she hated being alone.  
  
"Then why are you alone all the time?" Delemir asked her.  
  
"What?" Lissa looked up at Delemir. He was still drying her hair, attempting to be taken by the task at hand, but obviously interested in her thoughts.  
  
"You just said you didn't like being alone. Why don't you, when you are alone most of the time?" he repeated.  
  
"I don't know. I just don't like people, that's all." She sighed again. Then yawned.  
  
"Sleep," he told her, letting the conversation rest as well.  
  
"I don't want to. He might-jeez, I sound like a little kid," Lissa muttered.  
  
"What? Why would you feel like a little child? A child would be crying still, and more hysterically," Delemir stated, matter-of-factly.  
  
"He might find me and take me again," Lissa whispered. "I don't want him to." An inward shudder chilled her slightly at that thought. But when Delemir touched her cheek, she felt her warmth again.  
  
"He will not find you. I promise you that," he told her, sitting on her other side against the headboard.  
  
"How can you promise something like that?" Lissa began to sit up, but Delemir kept her down easily.  
  
"Because, I will watch you as you sleep. At any sign that he has you, the faintest whimper, I will wake you and you can tell me if he did or not." Delemir offered a smile before he bent down close to her face to rub his lips against hers. "Sleep."  
  
Lissa nodded and was instantly asleep after she closed her eyes in Delemir's bed.  
  
"I love you," he whispered and kissed her cheek gently.  
  
Delemir leaned back against the wall and sighed, knowing what he had to do now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hiya everyone! This is great! Eleven chapters next time we talk! Whoo! Oh, and I've decided that once I finish this, I'm going to change the names and a few scenarios in here and publish this! Yay! Ahem, anyway. Today is my mommy's birthday. :D And a quick shout out to Lady Gwen of Avalon! She's going to be married the 23rd, so congrats to her! DISCLAIMER: Nope, don't own Lord of the Rings. Will never own it, either, so don't worry. I'm glad I rid us of Connor finally. He was getting really annoying. Hah, anyway. Yes, he said it out loud, but she was sleeping. Poo. Hehe. Mmm, yes, more dreams to come, still associating with everything in here. I am becoming fond of them. But anyway, I own the dreams, and they're fun to make up. I own the story. That's what counts. Enjoy chapter 11 when it comes! 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
"So, Delemir, you have figured out my little game, have you?" Onaumbar smirked as he stepped into Delemir's line of vision.  
  
"Yes. It will not work. I will not let you take her from me," he told the dark man.  
  
"Oh really? What's to stop me from taking her now, while you are with me?" Onaumbar laughed.  
  
"You can't," Delemir said simply. This time, a smirk crossed his face.  
  
"What?" Onaumbar tried to hide his shock. "What makes you say that?" he added, calmer.  
  
"Because of this." Delemir stretched his arms out to the place around them. They were on a mountaintop, overseeing lakes and rivers and forests below them. The sky was a brilliant blue, with thick, white clouds dotting here and there. The sun was beating down warmly upon them. Everything looked real.  
  
"And what, pray tell, does my little "playworld" have to do with disabling me of taking her now in her dreams. She dreams peacefully," Onaumbar added before Delemir could speak. "She dreams of flowers and writing peaceful stories. She dreams of you." A smirk crossed his face.  
  
"Me?" Delemir seemed shocked. "Why me if she has everything else she wants or can have now? She has said numerous times she never wishes to marry."  
  
"Do you think that she really means that?" Onaumbar slowly walked over Delemir, his smirk turning to a sympathetic smile. "Do you think that's what she really wants? I know what she wants! She wants to be married and have children. That is what she wants," Onaumbar said as he drew near to Delemir and came within two inches of him. "I have given her that, but she denies herself of the pleasure. Why do you think she does that, Delemir?"  
  
"She doesn't remember any of it happening. She told me." Delemir found thrill in the distorted look that crossed Onaumbar's features. "One other thing she has told me before is that the best part of life are the memories we make along the way." Then, a look of pleasure crossed Onaumbar's face and Delemir saw his mistake.  
  
"So, you are saying that she does not believe it because she has no memory of anything ever happening?" the Fate Giver asked.  
  
Delemir bit his tongue.  
  
"You are saying that if I give her memory of marrying you, of conceiving the children she wishes to have in her life, of them being born, she will be content? She denies my gift for the lack of memory? That is no—"  
  
"I would not quite call it a gift, Onaumbar. I would call it a trick," Delemir interrupted.  
  
The fury flared in Onaumbar's eyes and he lifted his hands, and Delemir floated in the air at the level with them.  
  
"You wish to steal her soul as you stole mine! You will not!" Delemir said, strained from the increasing pressure on his chest. He brought his hand to his heart and had a feeling; a bad one. "You're hurting her! Let her be!"  
  
Onaumbar laughed maniacally at Delemir. The pain increased, even as Delemir was thrown from the side of the mountaintop.  
  
Springing up in the bed, Delemir looked around. Nothing was amiss. There were no noises sounding that shouldn't be. It was dark, though. That was what frightened Delemir. How long had he been asleep? How long had Onaumbar had him in the dark confines of the place therein one's own mind?  
  
Upon hearing a slight noise from Lissa in her sleep, he looked down at her. She looked peaceful. Had Onaumbar taken Lissa into one of her dreams and harmed her? He hoped not. Delemir hoped Lissa was as peaceful in her sleep as she looked, and, Delemir found himself thinking, as peaceful as the Death Giver had said.  
  
Lissa's eyes fluttered open and focused on Delemir. A smile crept onto her face as she lifted her hand to his cheek.  
  
"You did watch me sleep," she murmured softly, her voice still heavy from sleep. "Your cheeks are warm. Seems like you caught a little sleep yourself." She knew she wasn't in a dream. She could tell.  
  
"Yes, I did." Delemir shifted his head so his lips brushed against her palm gently. He opened his mouth and began to say something, but shut it before he had the first word out. Now wasn't the time to tell her. He still had his conversation with Onaumbar on his mind. And, he thought, he still felt the pain.  
  
Letting his hand, still encasing Lissa's, trail down to his heart, he winced slightly.  
  
"Oh, gosh, he had you? Delemir?" Lissa sat up and pulled her robe tighter around her with her other hand upon Delemir's silence. "Delemir, are you all right?" She said it slowly as she rested her hand over his cheek again, making him look at her. His eyes were glazed slightly, like he'd zoned out.  
  
"I'm fine, my love," he told her after a moment. The endearment caused her to wince slightly, but she swallowed it to let it process later.  
  
"Good," Lissa murmured, leaning towards him to hug him.  
  
Delemir stopped her shortly. "Put some clothes on," he told her. "Put some clothes on then come back."  
  
Lissa looked at Delemir in puzzlement, but nodded. She turned and slipped off of his bed—it smelled so much of him that she'd been lost in his scent. She cast a look of confusion over her shoulder at Delemir as she stepped out of his room to go into the bathroom and find her clothes from earlier that she'd set out to wear again.  
  
When she reached the doorframe, she only stood there and stared in. The water, probably cold now, was still there. The wineglass, long empty, was still on the edge, teetering dangerously there and close to falling into the water. Her book was on the floor, and the radio was on the same station still. Her clothes were in a neat little pile by the laundry hamper, ready to have been put in there when she'd stepped out of them calmly, unlike when she'd stepped out of the tub. The other clothes, the clean ones, were stacked over the heater, warmed for her use, on the other side of the room.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Lissa stepped in and felt the presence there, still. She swallowed and took another step slowly. The presence increased and her vision began to dim from the amount of it. She became dizzy and lightheaded, like under the influence of too much perfume. Her hands began to shake as she reached over to take the cotton shirt off of the heater. She stopped her movement two inches from the garment.  
  
She was completely intoxicated by the feel of the presence there. She couldn't think. What was she doing in the bathroom? She couldn't see. What was she reaching for? She couldn't breathe. How long had it been since she'd taken a breath? As her eyes fluttered shut, she tried to remember those answers.  
  
Delemir, meanwhile, was thinking his lecture through when he saw it had been five minutes. It didn't take Lissa that long to dress herself. It took her about two or three minutes if her clothes were set out in front of her, which he'd seen they were. He wondered where she was.  
  
"Delemir!" he heard her cry suddenly, strained.  
  
He jumped up and ran down the hall to the bathroom and saw her bent over, about to grab her clothes, but stopped in the motion. She was tilted to the side and leaning further every second. He rushed for her, but stopped at the amount of pressure there was and how hard it felt to breathe in the room. Ignoring the sudden shock of it best he could, he pulled Lissa over, and immediately the pressure subsided then disappeared. He and Lissa both took a gasping breath as she fell backwards over him.  
  
"Delemir," she whispered frantically. "He was here! He was here inside my head! I could hear him! He was talking to me. Oh, he was saying that he could give me everything I wanted and that'd I'd remember it all being given to me!"  
  
Delemir stood, bringing Lissa with him. She fell limply against him, but she quickly tried to right herself. He pulled her out of the bathroom quickly and sighed, shaking his head as he felt a slight throbbing in his chest.  
  
So, this was how it was to be? Every time Lissa was going to be caught in a dream brought on by Onaumbar, he would feel it. It could be like a warning system, he thought as he pushed her against a wall to keep her there. He pressed his finger over her lips to quiet her fast rants.  
  
"Shh," he said. He pulled his hand away, and she continued ranting and explaining what she'd felt. Delemir sighed, tired of hearing about Onaumbar and what he'd said in her head, and leaned closer. He rubbed his lips over hers firmly and felt her protest against him for a moment, then give in and quiet. She bunched herself up as a grin spread over her face—against his lips—and she lifted her hands to his shoulders.  
  
"Oh, that makes everything better. Kiss me again," she said, her eyes still closed.  
  
"In a moment," Delemir said and retrieved her clothes. "Go in your spare room and change."  
  
"But what if—"  
  
"He won't. If he does, tell him to shove it. You're good at that with Connor."  
  
Lissa grinned as she took the clothes from Delemir, but still shivered. She took two steps then stopped. She turned slowly around to see Delemir watching her.  
  
"Delemir?" She felt a little foolish and sheepish now.  
  
"Yes?" Delemir leaned against the wall, amused at her.  
  
"I—" She paused, unable to think of anything to say. Then, she jumped forward and swung her arms around his neck and let a sentimental tear slip down her cheek. "Thank you," she said at last, blinking back the rest of her tears.  
  
She withdrew, with a goofy smile on her face, and walked into the other guestroom to change into her clothes. That was when she decided she really—honestly and truly really did—did want to marry him. Just the hard parts now were convincing him of the same thing and ridding themselves of Onaumbar or whatever the guy's name was.  
  
Delemir sighed as he watched her walk into the room. He'd seen the goofy grin on her face and it was normally only one the people in the movies had when they were in love, deliriously in love. He hoped so. He had to tell her, but not now. Not when Onaumbar was still in the air, still in memory.  
  
As Delemir walked past the door Lissa was behind, he heard her humming a little ditty she listened to a lot. He recognized it as a love song by one of her favorite singers. He sighed, knowing she was deliriously in love with him now. What would he do? How would he tell her? When would he tell her? Eru, when and how would she tell him and what would he do during that?  
  
"Delemir?" Lissa said as she stepped out into the hallway, snagging his attention again.  
  
"Yes?" He saw a no-nonsense look in her eyes. It was serious. Then, he saw the tears brimming in her eyes.  
  
"I want to leave this house. I can't stay here anymore," she told him, nonchalant for the house's feelings. "I can't deal with this guy invading my dreams anymore. Invading yours, for heaven's sake." She took a step towards him and laid her hand over his heart. "He hurt you. I don't want him to, and I don't want you to hurt." She kissed him gently.  
  
Delemir laid his hand over hers at his heart, wondering how many times they would do that same thing. "I'm fine. It is you I am worried about, my love," he told her, returning her soft kiss, but longer and more coaxing.  
  
"Don't leave me," Lissa said once they were in his room.  
  
"What?" Delemir looked at her in puzzlement.  
  
"Onaumbar said you would leave me. Don't. I don't want his prophecy to come true. I don't want you to leave me," she elaborated. "I'll call a hotel in Pentagon City. We can stay there for a few days until we figure out everything," she added before he could say anything.  
  
"All right," Delemir murmured as she went straight to the phone in his room.  
  
She stopped at the base of it and made a funny noise. "Where is it?"  
  
"Hmm?" Delemir tried to be innocent as he came behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nibbling on her neck.  
  
"The phone. Where is it?"  
  
"Over there," he said against her flesh. He jerked his head slightly in some off direction.  
  
Lissa laughed then said, "There are a lot of 'theres,' Delemir. Where is it?" She pulled away and turned around to face him. She saw him jerk his head again towards the adjoined room that was a sitting room now. She walked over to it and looked around. "I don't—" She stopped herself when she saw its antenna sticking out from under a mound of pillows on the couch.  
  
She walked over to it and pulled pillows off. She scoffed when she saw a stuffed animal or two there. She laughed ironically when she had to pry wads of paper—some of which she'd been looking for forever—from around it.  
  
She began to yank it from the cushion of the couch when she felt Delemir watching her. She knew he was grinning. She could see it. There was a slight crease on his left cheek—it seemed odd, she thought, to say a man had a dimple, so was a crease—that she still had yet to run her fingers over. It would be barely be winking, but would still be cute. She laughed at herself as she found victory at pulling the phone out of the couch.  
  
"Why'd you do that?" she asked, coming up to him and standing with her hands on her hips. She had a defiant glint in her eyes, and it hinted in the sassy tilt of her chin. His grin widened and the crease deepened.  
  
"I hate the phone," he murmured. "I rid myself of it." He lifted his hand to her hair and toyed with the ends of it absently. It'd already become a habit.  
  
"Well, you shouldn't do that. I might need it for a time like this." She grinned and lifted her hand to his left cheek. She was going to explore that manly dimple. "You know, whenever you grin like you are now, there's this really sexy crease right here," she murmured, tracing it as it deepened and reddened in a blush. She laughed at him. "Did I embarrass you?"  
  
"No," he denied.  
  
"Then why are you cheeks red, love?" She laughed again at his being flustered and patted his cheek gently. "Let's go make those hotel reservations." She took his hand and led him to the table in his room. "Gosh, I hope he doesn't come back while I'm on the phone," she murmured, producing a phonebook from the drawer in the table.  
  
"Who?" Delemir already knew. He was wanted her to elaborate to see if she was afraid of him.  
  
"Onaumbar. Oh, hold on. I'm going to ask you what type of room we want, so be creative here and there, and answer with what I give you to answer with," she said. Then, Delemir heard the click on the other line and a faint, muffled voice.  
  
"Yes, I'd like to book a room for two adults. We'll be coming in tonight, if that's all right. How many nights?" She looked to Delemir.  
  
"Five, six at the most," he told her.  
  
"Okay. Write that down," she told him. She produced pen and paper just as magically as the phonebook and set it in front of him. He scribbled it down. "Okay, so, could we have the room for five or six nights? Great. Could I describe what type of room we want and you could see if you have one like it in your database? All right, thank you." She looked to Delemir again.  
  
"One or two?" she asked, having been put on hold for another call.  
  
"One or two what?" Delemir asked, looking up from doodling on the paper.  
  
"One or two?" she repeated. "Quickly."  
  
"One," he answered.  
  
"Okay." Lissa took the paper and wrote something in messy shorthand. "Good or bad?"  
  
"Good, of course. We have enough bad right now," he whispered.  
  
"True." She scribbled again. "One or two again, and have some variety," she murmured, coloring in a star he'd drawn.  
  
"Two, then." He tried to decipher the shorthand, but only saw what looked like chicken scratch.  
  
"Mini or no?" She looked up to see his reaction.  
  
"What? Mini what?"  
  
"Never mind. Too slow," she said as she was picked up off of hold. "Yes, I'm still here. And I know what kind of room we want now. Yes. Okay, a one bed—" She cast a wry look at Delemir while he looked at her in horror of his choice "—a good view of the monuments, two bathrooms—" She mouthed the words 'Thank you' to Delemir with a grin still "—and a miniature fridge if that's available. It is? Great. Okay. Room what? Is that the top floor? Oh. 1208," she murmured. "Okay, we'll pack and be there in about an hour. Thank you." She hung up and looked at Delemir.  
  
"One bed?" he asked.  
  
"There's a couch bed. Or I could request a roll-a-way bed." She grinned up at him. "Hey, you answered the questions," she improvised, standing.  
  
"Yes, but I did not know they would imply to those specific details." He lifted his eyebrow at her growing smirk. He knew she wanted to be casual. She wanted to forget the rendezvous with Onaumbar in her bathroom, and the trance he'd put her in. He could be casual, but it wasn't easy with the knowledge that Onaumbar would find them wherever they went. It also wasn't easy with the light throbbing in his chest that increased whenever he was near her. Was she a reason as to why it was there? Was he?  
  
"What are you thinking of?" Lissa asked him, standing and leaning on the balls of her feet in front of him.  
  
"Nothing you would care to know about," he said simply. The look that crossed over her face made him wonder what he'd said wrong. "What?"  
  
"Have you been talking to Emily or Jenny on the phone lately? What have you been watching? Have you been listening to my phone conversations?" she accused, shocked from thinking the implied.  
  
Delemir thought a moment and shook his head, finally realizing where her mind was. He laughed, pleased with himself for making her think something bad when he was purely good.  
  
"Well? Do you have an explanation for yourself?" she pressed further, like a mother catching her son with a full bottle of liquor and a pack of tobacco. "You're an Elf! You're not supposed to think bad thoughts!"  
  
"Yes, Mother, I do have an explanation. And, I'll have you know, that there have been plenty of Elves who have had dirty minds. I am not one of them—right now." He stood and took a step forward, putting his hand to her temple. "I was not in the gutter, you were. I was thinking of Onaumbar, when I know you wish to be casual and leave him out of conversation when at all possible. So that is why I said I was thinking of something you would not care to hear about." He laughed again at the look coming over her face. It was embarrassment now.  
  
"Well," she said, fighting down the blush in her face, "you should elaborate more, Delemir." She looked up at him and saw the grin playing over his lips. "Meanie."  
  
"Child," he returned, having a memory of some time he couldn't remember.  
  
Lissa looked up with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Old one," she murmured, grinning back at him and the shock.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" He was appalled someone had called him old.  
  
"I said, 'old one!' Want me to spell it for you?" Lissa offered as the phone rang. "Hold that thought." She sprang for the ringing phone. "Hello?"  
  
"We sound exasperated," Emily grinned.  
  
"We do?" Lissa hadn't noticed her breathing had quickened under Delemir's stare. "Oh." She laughed.  
  
"What were you doing? Running a mile?"  
  
"Not quite." Lissa threw a glance over at Delemir that promised more mischief later. "What do you need?" she asked, sitting down on the desk and toying with one of the glass figures.  
  
"Do you still have cookies left from the other day?" Emily wanted to know. She, too, was sitting down in a comfy chair, drawing anything that came to mind.  
  
"I doubt it. With the way Delemir has been eating my cookies," she said, raising her voice for him to zone in and hear, "I doubt if even the ingredients are left!"  
  
Emily's spurt of laughter only increased when she heard Delemir shout over the other end of the line. "No, I have not been eating the cookies, you have!" he accused Lissa.  
  
"Cookie thief! There was a pile of them two days ago by your bed and it's gone now," Lissa said matter of factly.  
  
"Because you took them and ate them for yourself," Delemir insisted.  
  
Emily, finally controlling her laughter, looked over at the sheet of paper she'd been doodling on. Her eyes widened and nearly popped out of her head. "Whoa!" she said through the phone. "Lissa, you and Delemir can fight about the cookies later. You have to see this thing I just drew. It's of a guy with long hair. The facial features are like—wow. His eyes are so deep, you feel lost looking into them."  
  
Lissa immediately knew who Emily had drawn, and how. Swallowing her shock, she said, "Hey, you come on over with that drawing and you can help me pack, all right?"  
  
"Pack?" Emily was puzzled as she pulled a plastic cover out of her drawer for the paper.  
  
"Yeah. Delemir and I are going to be staying at a hotel over in Pentagon City. I'll talk to Delemir to see if we can tell you about it." They would have to be careful about who they told now.  
  
"Sure, all right. Just don't leave any details out if you do tell me," Emily said, carefully setting the picture in a plastic cover. "I'll see you soon."  
  
"Sure," Lissa murmured, still in shock. "Bye."  
  
When Lissa hung up the phone and turned to him, Delemir saw the shock on her now pale face. "What? What is it?" he asked her, staying where he was.  
  
"Emily said she'd drawn a picture of Onaumbar," Lissa told him. She took a long breath and let it out slowly.  
  
"What?" Now Delemir did go to her. He took her hands in his, feeling the chill there.  
  
"Not exactly. She doesn't know it. She doesn't know anything about Onaumbar yet. She doesn't know about the dreams. I haven't risked telling anyone," she murmured, letting Delemir's warmth seep into her hands. "There's a saying that two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead. I have an addition to that. Two people can keep a secret if they try."  
  
"I like yours better," Delemir said, touching his neck gingerly. "A lot better."  
  
Lissa laughed and smiled at him, making herself think of anything else but the shock and Onaumbar. "Come on. Let's start packing your stuff best we can until Emily makes it here. I think there's a suitcase in your closet on the top," she said, going over to it and opening the door. "Yep." Then she stretched herself out fully like a cat and left Delemir flabbergasted at how tall she could make herself.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, you're saying I drew the guy that's been haunting Delemir since he came here, and has started haunting you now?" Emily said ironically to Lissa.  
  
"Yes." Lissa felt foolish telling Emily about these dreams and that this guy—one of the head people, kind of, in the Valar in Middle Earth—trying to tear them both apart by giving Lissa what she wanted.  
  
Emily stated the obvious, saying, "Well, he's trying to tear you both apart and give you what you want—" She shot a glance at Delemir and he shook his head "—and he's trying to take you away from Delemir. Think, both of you. Why would he try to do that? What would motivate him to?"  
  
"You mean you believe us?" Lissa exclaimed.  
  
"I don't know. I believe that you've hardly told a good lie since I've known you, and you would have had to practice this if it were a joke," Emily said, leaning against the couch in the sitting room. "And, as you have stated and we all have seen, you're terrible at acting since you have to laugh at things like these."  
  
Lissa rolled her eyes. "He was—" She cleared her throat from the slight fear that coated it. "He was here earlier today. When I took a bath, I was listening to my favorite opera. I drank a glass of Chardonnay and felt a little tired since the opera's two hours. I dozed off, thinking I'd wake up when the music stopped or when Delemir said someone was on the phone or something. That's where I messed up. When I opened my eyes a moment later, I wasn't in the tub. I was in bed." Here is where it became a little embarrassing. She shot a look to Delemir. This was the first time he was hearing it all too, but she'd told him he had been in the dream.  
  
"Alone?" Emily wanted to know when she picked up on the looks going between the two. "Oh, too weird. With him?"  
  
"We're married and have children in my dreams, Emily. Onaumbar said that he gives me all I want in my dreams." She stepped up to Emily and began to whisper something when she saw Delemir watching them intently. "Delemir, zone out." He grinned and looked elsewhere. Lissa whispered, "Maybe Onaumbar is right. Maybe that is what I want."  
  
If Emily had been drinking something then, she would have choked on it and spat it across the room. "Are you serious?" she wanted to know. Lissa nodded sheepishly. "Big change."  
  
"Anyway. We talk for a minute, then I shower and we go and wake up the kids," Lissa murmured.  
  
"How many?" Delemir asked, watching her now.  
  
"Two. Adam is six in this dream, and Genevieve is a few months," Lissa told him. "It's Christmas and we open our gifts. I live an entire day in the dream without knowing it's a dream. It seemed so right and I didn't suspect anything until I thought of something." She cleared her throat again and sipped the water beside her. "I'm an artist in my dream, and a new one at that. New artists, as you know Emily, since you're an artist by now a well renowned one, always have struggles with cash. My thought was how did we manage income? I mean, we were living in this house. It's huge. It takes a good three hundred plus dollars for the bills, and then there's the extra expenses, like food, clothing, things for Genevieve and Adam, and then other miscellaneous things.  
  
"How did we manage to rake in enough cash to stay stable enough to have a giant Christmas like we did? There were twenty or so presents under the tree." Lissa looked at her audience of two and took a shallow, shuddered breath. "Things became distorted slightly as I was lying on the couch with Delemir. Soon, both of the children began screaming bloody murder and the dream distorts further. The colors of the room mix and bleed and twist around me. Then, I hear the radio—the end of the opera—and sirens. I'm suddenly in an accident, dying. As the white sheet is pulled over my head, I feel my mind believing that it's dead, so therefore shutting down. Then I sprang up, out of the bath water, shouting."  
  
Lissa was quiet after that.  
  
"Then she came down the hall in her robe and hysterics," Delemir continued for her. "She attempts explaining, but doesn't quite say it right, so that's why all of that was new to me besides the part about Onaumbar trying to kill her."  
  
"That must have led to the thought of 'why?' correct?" Emily put in. "So, we're stuck wondering why this 'Onaumbar' character is trying to kill Meliss here, right?"  
  
"I know why," Delemir murmured. "To kill me. He wants me dead for some reason—both of us." His gaze strayed from Emily's to Lissa's, and he saw the shock on her face. Her water glass fell from her hands and hit the floor, breaking on the finished hardwood. She snapped back to reality and bent down to pick up the pieces of glass.  
  
"I'll go find the broom and a towel," Emily said, walking quickly out of the room.  
  
Delemir nodded and knelt in front of Lissa. He picked up a jagged piece of glass and inspected it. It was smooth, thinly cut glass. It was part of the lip of the cup. He looked up when he heard Lissa suck in a breath quickly, retaining an oath.  
  
"What?" He took her hand in his and saw a neat little cut along the lifeline of her palm. She tried to pull it away, but Delemir kept his grip firm on her wrist. He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe the flowing blood out of the way and see a medium deep cut.  
  
"Let go, I'm fine," she said quickly, still trying to pull away to tend it.  
  
"This is symbolic," he said, ignoring her demand. "See this line here?" He ran his finger along the line in her palm until he reached the cut. She hissed in a breath when his finger dipped over the cut slightly. "This is your lifeline." He looked up at her now. "He means to cut it short, like he did mine."  
  
Lissa's jaw dropped and quivered, her hands beginning to shake. She looked straight at Delemir and saw the depthless blue of his eyes, and the memory of his death in Lothlórien.  
  
"Back!" Emily exclaimed, running back in with a towel for the water, a bag and the broom for the glass. "What is it?" She saw the look of shock on Lissa's face, and the understanding on Delemir's.  
  
"He means kill me soon," Lissa gasped. Then Emily saw the blood.  
  
"What happened?" she demanded, using the towel to wipe the blood away.  
  
"She cut her hand while she was cleaning up the glass," Delemir said, trying to help calm Lissa to no avail.  
  
"Come on, we'll clean this up in the bathroom."  
  
"Uh-uh, not going in there!" Lissa said quickly. She pulled her hand out of the two people's hold and stepped back, lifting both hands palm out in the air.  
  
"Why not?" Emily wanted to know.  
  
"You would have had to have to been there to understand it," Delemir said.  
  
"I'm a writer and an artist," Emily pointed out. "Whether or not I'll understand it, I'll make sense of it, at least."  
  
"He was there earlier and pulled me into a trance," Lissa murmured.  
  
"And would have killed her then had I not found her." Delemir wiped the blood that was still oozing out of Lissa's hand away. "We have to clean this," he told her softly.  
  
"First aid kit in your room. In the desk by the window," Lissa said, swallowing. Emily stepped out to find it. "Oh, gosh, I feel him. He's here, but just barely. He's letting us know he can do anything." She paused a moment, and her eyes took on a glazed appearance. "I hear him. He's saying he's only showing us what he can do, and more blood will spill," she murmured slowly.  
  
"What's she saying?" Emily asked Delemir quietly when she stepped in to see Lissa walking towards the window slowly. Delemir shrugged.  
  
"My blood is not the only blood that will be spilled, though he will spill it. In fact, that's just what he's doing," Lissa said and threw the window open.  
  
"Lissa!" Delemir pulled her back, and obviously out of her trance.  
  
"What happened?" she asked as Emily started to bandage her hand. "Oh, he's here!"  
  
"Yes, we know Mrs. Obvious," Emily said sarcastically. "He just tried to kill you. Don't you remember flinging that window open and almost succeeding in throwing yourself out?"  
  
"No." Lissa swallowed and grabbed Delemir's arm with her other hand. "No, I remember just standing there talking, then all of a sudden, I'm being yanked away and pushed here."  
  
"What do you remember when you were going to change your clothes in the bathroom earlier?" Delemir demanded.  
  
"Nothing, really. I remember that I was reaching for the clothes, and then my vision was clouded. Then I didn't feel anything until you pulled me out," Lissa said.  
  
"So what he's doing," Emily said, picking up on Delemir's thought process, "is whenever you're in a trance or whatever, you don't remember what you're doing, or it seems you're doing something else until someone pulls you out of it. Otherwise, you're like a rag doll, ready to be thrown around. How would he have killed her in the bathroom?"  
  
"She would have fallen and hit her head on the bathtub. The wineglass there would have been hit and might have fallen and broken as well. Or she might have fallen forward onto the heater," Delemir said.  
  
"Both have to do with falling," Lissa murmured.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We have to finish packing. I have to leave this place," Lissa said, looking at Emily, then Delemir. "I never thought I'd want to leave my own house. Let's go downstairs." She pulled at Delemir's hand, but he wouldn't budge.  
  
"You said something about falling," he told her.  
  
"Yes, now let's go. Let's take your bag out of your room and go downstairs to finish my bag," Lissa said, tugging his hand. She looked to Emily for help, who was just watching in amusement. Lissa felt helpless, even in her own home. That's why she wanted to vacate it. She felt suffocated. She couldn't breathe here. She needed air. She couldn't think anywhere. She had to gather her thoughts.  
  
Seeing neither of them would move, she sighed and let Delemir's hand fall from hers. "Fine," she said, her voice quivering. "I'll pack my own bag. I'm a big girl." She turned and started down the stairs again.  
  
Delemir stood, seeing he'd pushed her too hard and tried to make her do something she didn't want to. "Lissa, wait a minute," he said, seeing her halfway down the stairs.  
  
"I'm fine. I can pack my own bag, Delemir," she insisted, her voice still quivering, continuing down the stairs.  
  
"That's not what I mean," he said, throwing a glance at Emily, who only shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"When Lissa's mad, she gives you the cold shoulder," she pointed out, having experienced it before.  
  
"Yes, I've noticed." Delemir sighed and continued after her. "Lissa, what did you mean when you said both had to do with falling back there?" he asked, following her through the house. Emily slowly followed suit after them.  
  
"My own realization that no one else will understand because no one else thinks like me," she said as she stepped into her room. "Now, if you'd like a seminar on my thought and my thought process, I'd be happy to give you one in a million years when the technology is more advanced."  
  
Emily smirked behind Delemir at that. She stayed out of sight in the dining room, though, while Delemir stood at the threshold of the door in Lissa's room. She stood on the other side of the room, watching his back.  
  
"I want to know now," Delemir said lowly.  
  
"Go away."  
  
Now Emily restrained a laugh at that, but continued grinning.  
  
"I want to know what you meant so I can help you—help us—make it through this alive, Melissa," Delemir said.  
  
"Go away," Lissa said again and shut her door in his face. Before he could try to open it, she pushed the latch at the top of the door.  
  
Delemir sighed and leaned against it, forgetful of Emily's watching eye. He sighed out a breath slowly, leaning on his wrist heavily against the wood. "Lissa, please open your door," he said calmly, keeping his voice flat and emotionless. "Please?"  
  
Lissa sat on her bed like an Indian and with her arms folded across her chest in a pout, sure to be scowling at the empty suitcase on her bed. She just wanted to scream and shout and tell him she loved him right then. She didn't want to think of Onaumbar then. She didn't even want to think of Onaumbar at all. But then that always lead to being haunted by more dreams and pulled into more deathly trances she alone was powerless to stop.  
  
Scowling at the door now, she heard Delemir speaking again.  
  
"I have to tell you something, Lissa. It is important. Now, I can tell you through the door and make everything I say have no power or meaning whatsoever, or you can open the door and let me in so you can either slap me in the face—" That one appealed to Lissa "or kiss me like you have no other chance in the world to ever again." Delemir sighed. This was it.  
  
Lissa sighed in unbeknownst unison with Delemir, thinking the same thing at the same time but pertaining to different thoughts. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she realized she had to talk about Onaumbar and not just ignore him. That was probably what he wanted her to do anyway. Making the pain in the butt happy was the last thing she wanted to do.  
  
So, with Onaumbar on her mind, and her heart on her sleeve, Lissa stood and walked to the door. She unlatched it slowly. Taking a breath, she opened the door.  
  
"Give us a minute?" Delemir asked Emily—she walked off to the kitchen to look around and wait like a person with respect to romance—as he saw the door open.  
  
Lissa only expected him to walk in and beat around the bush, taking forever with his point and make her want to slap him, but she didn't expect for him to near about jump all over her in one single kiss. She was completely shocked, so her reaction would have been late had she not decided to only stand there in his arms and refuse to feel anything. It was nearly impossible and driving her senseless, yes, but she managed to stand there with his lips over hers, firm and possessive and hungry.  
  
Delemir felt it. The cold rejection she was giving him right now hurt like nothing before, he thought as he pulled away from her. Especially since he'd made up his mind to tell her finally. So, when he saw her only staring at him blandly, as if her blood had never run hot in her veins because of him, he swallowed his hurt and pride and replaced them with words.  
  
"Melissa, please look at me when I tell you this," Delemir said when she turned to survey herself in the mirror. He leaned backwards and shut the door slowly. The click of it made Lissa look at him.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked, as if she couldn't feel the love boiling in the air. In truth, she felt it and could barely resist going to him now and exclaiming she loved him more than anything in the world, but she kept that purely on the inside. "Look, I know you probably want to talk about Onaumbar, but right now, he's the last thing I want to think a—"  
  
"Be quiet, woman, for Eru's sake!" Delemir exclaimed, striding over to her and taking fistfuls of her hair in his hands so she looked at him. "Be quiet so I can say this." He took another deep breath, fighting back the urge to kiss her again. "Melissa, I love you."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Whoopee! He told her! Uhm...sorry it took so long to update. Really, really sorry. But to make up for it, tonight, I am going to read through the next chapter and update on Valentine's Day! I think it's the right chapter for it. But anyway...  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Lord of the Rings, or the Valar. I only own my people. Anyway, I don't think there'll be a lot of long rambling here. But anyhow...I will talk to you on Valentine's Day! But hopefully I will get a kitty by then! I'll let you know!  
  
But a quick special thanks and shout out:  
  
Aragorns-gurl33 says: Whoever is reading her stories "Cautious Love" and "Hope is not lost" that she has NOT given up on them. She is still waiting for the inspiration to hit. But this need only apply if she hasn't gotten it yet.  
  
THANKS TO:  
  
Lady Gwen of Avalon for sticking here, and congratulations to her for her wedding!  
  
Aragorns-gurl33 for reviewing faithfully to the chapters!  
  
Sam (you know who you are!) for reading!  
  
Snooboostoo for reviewing, and I hope to hear from you again soon!  
  
Scarlet-Lolita for updating the first chapter and being the first person ever to review Love's Philosophy! Hope to hear from you soon!  
  
Thanks to all who read this story, and I hope you enjoy it! 


	12. Chapter 12

Hey all! Happy Valentine's Day! And a chapter, just as I promised!  
  
Chapter 12  
  
"I love you."  
  
Her jaw dropped and her hands trembled as she heard those words come from Delemir's mouth. She had to be dreaming. She just had to be dreaming. Could he really love her? Was there a rule saying an Elf couldn't love a mortal? Anything? Nothing came to mind.  
  
"What?" she managed, watching him watching her intensely. "How long?"  
  
"A month, today," he told her, feeling completely powerful now. "Lissa, I—"  
  
"Wait a minute," she said, swallowing hard and painfully, as if something were stuck in her throat. "Let me..."  
  
Slowly, Lissa lifted her hand to his cheek, brushed away his long, blonde, beautiful hair and saw a soft point on the tip of his ear. "What about this?" She gently touched the tip and trailed her finger down the back of his ear to his neck.  
  
"About what?" Delemir asked, fighting a chill from her touch.  
  
"You're an Elf, Delemir!" she nearly yelled, wiping a tear that tried to crawl down her cheek away. "I'm a human. You're immortal, I'm mortal! You'll live forever, I'm going to die one day!" She swallowed the word 'die' like it was bad medicine, which it was.  
  
"I'll die with you, then, so I can see you again," Delemir said simply, tugging on her hair to keep her gaze in his.  
  
"I don't know if they have a place for Elves here, Delemir, when they die. When people die here, they either go to heaven or hell." Lissa took a deep breath and tried to tear her gaze away from Delemir's as another tear fell down her cheek.  
  
"I will go wherever you go," he told her, kissing the tear away. "I love you, Melissa."  
  
"Stop—staying that!" She brought her hands to her head to cover her ears as if it would help. She heard his words over and over in her head, though. 'I love you, I love you, I love you.' She just wanted to say the same thing over and over again to him. She just wanted to fall into his arms and kiss him like there was nothing wrong in the world, like there was no evil trying to kill them both.  
  
"Why?" he wanted to know.  
  
She winced. Why did she think she could tell him to be quiet? It was impossible. 'Just open your mouth and say I love you too,' she told herself. "Because I care for you, and it hurts to hear you say that right now," she said instead. She cursed herself immediately.  
  
Delemir let go of her hair and stepped back like he'd been slapped. That hurt too, just hearing she cared. Only cared, he told himself. Why didn't she love him? Why did he need her to? Why did he expect her to feel the same way as he did?  
  
'So much for trying to make him think marrying you was a good idea if all you're going to do is hurt him, Melissa,' she berated herself with her eyes closed, leaning against the closet door. 'Good luck recovering from this one.'  
  
"All right," she heard Delemir say.  
  
"All right what?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse. She cleared her throat as he stepped forward and cupped her face in his hands.  
  
"I can deal with you only caring right now, but later, you will love me," he promised.  
  
'I already do,' she said to herself only, wanted to say out loud to him. "If you say so," she murmured.  
  
"No, not only my saying. I see it in your eyes. You don't just care. There is something else there, and you know it. You only choose to keep it to yourself," he said. Biting his and Lissa's words off, he pressed his lips gently against hers in a mind boggling, sense-stealing kiss.  
  
He poured himself, his heart, into that one kiss, wanting her to know how he truly felt. As he softened the kiss more to a gently coaxing of lips against lips, he also deepened it a level, for both of their sakes. He felt he would burst if he didn't feel her now, so he let his hands go down to her shoulders, trail down her arms, and rest at her waist. He brought her closer and felt her heart racing as fast as his.  
  
Then he felt that throbbing in his heart, but this one was gentle and soft, like the kiss. When he felt her sigh into him, the throbbing increased and he wanted to push the gentleness he was trying to show her aside and let his mind take over. He wouldn't let it.  
  
Lissa was shocked. Not only does he tell her he loves her, but he also gives her the best—the gentlest, softest, sweetest—kiss in the world that has even been known for record. She couldn't help but cling to him, unless she wanted to be lost to the fiery passion underneath to have her attention at one place only. As she let her hands knead the tension he'd worked up in his shoulders, she let him work the tension out of her mind.  
  
"Delemir," she said when she drew away. She felt bare without his arms around her now. He had immediately withdrawn from her, a spacious two feet, when he'd realized how close things had become. "I have to finish packing. Emily's here. The hotel reservation. My promise to be there within the hour," she rambled off of her mental list.  
  
"Yes, you're right." But he still came forward and took her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I do love you still."  
  
Oh, it hurt. "I know," she told him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Soon enough, Emily, Delemir, and Lissa were packing and almost done by the stroke of the hour. Lissa had been sure to check if there was milk, and that it was drank, or any spoilable food in the cabinets. She handed off Bennett and his supplies to Emily to take care of for the week—there were tears there, both woman's and cat's.  
  
By fifteen after, Lissa and Delemir were out the door—to Lissa's relief—and going to the car. They tossed their bags in the backseat and hopped in the front seats. Lissa looked up at the window in the sitting room, on impulse, and could have sworn she'd seen Onaumbar moving away quickly, looking furious. That'd set her cranking up the vehicle and speeding away from her house like lightening.  
  
"I need a new house," she said at an intersection. This was the first time she and Delemir had exchanged words since her room.  
  
"What? Why?" he wanted to know. He looked at her as she took off slowly and drove along the straightaway to the hotel.  
  
"Onaumbar is there in my house right now. If he doesn't leave after we figure this out, I'm going to buy a new house because I won't be able to live with that—" She muttered an oath "—living in my house. I doubt you'd want to, either," she said, lifting an eyebrow at Delemir.  
  
"No, but Lissa, I doubt he will stay after we figure this out. But if he does, I also doubt he will let you be. He seems the type to hold a grudge and follow you," Delemir said.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Positive, for telling me just what I wanted to hear when I was fantasizing about living up town and out of the suburban area. See, I'd buy an apartment right there!" She pointed to a large building. "I could be alone when I wanted, or throw a party at my whim," she stated.  
  
"Not with me around." Delemir smirked as the pulled up in the front parking lot.  
  
"Who said you'd be around, huh?" Lissa turned in her seat as she pulled the keys from the ignition.  
  
Delemir unhooked her seatbelt and in an instant, had pulled her over to him and captured her mouth. "Did you forget that I love you?" he asked her.  
  
"No." She sighed. 'I love you, I love you, I love you. Just say it!' she told herself viciously.  
  
Delemir let her go and they both climbed out of the car to check in at the hotel they would be staying at for the next week.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"One bed," Delemir pointed out as they stepped into the bedroom to unpack clothes.  
  
"Your decision. Your fault," Lissa pointed out as well, tossing her bag on the floor and falling onto the bed.  
  
"Not my fault." Delemir fell next to her and snaked his hand under her neck to rub at the tension he found out hotels could cause, and also being on the twelfth and top floor. "Yours for not telling me what it was about." He leaned closer to her and rubbed his lips over hers. "I love you," he whispered.  
  
"That's the forth time you've told me that today," Lissa murmured, his lips still barely an inch away. "How many times are you going to say that until the day is over?"  
  
"As many as I can without being repetitive," Delemir said, shifting so he was on his back, still rubbing her neck. "We have to unpack."  
  
"I always just pulled clothes out of the bag when I stayed here. Of course, there were only eleven floors when I stayed here last," she said.  
  
"When was that?"  
  
"I don't remember. I was fourteen or something so about eight or so years ago. My dad would come up to Washington D.C. every three weeks because of his job for meetings and such. We'd go along with him sometimes. He retired from the military when I was almost fifteen. I don't remember," she said. "Hey, did you bring your swimming trunks we bought a few weeks ago?"  
  
"I think you tossed them in," Delemir said as she sat up.  
  
"This place has a great pool. And a hot tub and a sauna," she rambled on, opening up bags to check for it. "Aha!" She tossed it backward to him. "I take shotgun for the bathroom first." She opened up a pocket on hers and pulled out two peach colored pieces of material.  
  
"What? I thought there were two!" Delemir said as she made way for the door.  
  
"Nope. That cost me too much. Change in here. Close the curtains." She shut the door to change into her swimsuit to enjoy an evening swimming in a pool, relaxing in a hot tub, and unwinding in a sauna.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa opened her eyes around six in the morning, the crack of dawn. She yawned and stretched, feeling Delemir's arms around her waist. They were in the center of the hotel bed. 'So,' she thought, 'he was tired of the couch bed and came in here.' She grinned.  
  
"Delemir," she said quietly. He made a man noise in his sleep by her ear. She laughed. "Delemir, you have to let me go, darling."  
  
"Why?" he grunted. He nipped at her neck gently and sent a jolt in her system.  
  
"I need a shower," she told him patiently.  
  
"You took one last night," he said sleepily. He sniffed at her hair and her neck. "You still smell good to me."  
  
She laughed harder. "I bet I do to you, but I feel icky. Let be go before I kick your shins to pieces. You'll need them since we're going shopping today," Lissa murmured.  
  
"Fine." Delemir let her go, but sat up with her. "Lissa." She turned to him slowly, creaking and popping with morning sleep. He let his hands dive in to her hair as he captured her mouth with his for the first time that morning and tasted her just after sleep. "I love you," he said when he let her go.  
  
"Yes, I know." Lissa stood, her senses fried now, and went off for her shower.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Where are we going?" Delemir asked as Lissa dragged him through the dimly lighted store they'd gone in yesterday. She dodged people expertly, saying that she often did that.  
  
"A shop," she said simply.  
  
"Where? There are thousands of shops here, Lissa, in case you have not noticed," Delemir observed, sounding harassed as Lissa dragged him through another crowd of people.  
  
"Be quiet and follow me, Delemir," she said, turning to grin backward at him. "The shop contains that which will save both of our lives."  
  
"That tells me nothing."  
  
"Good."  
  
Lissa steered them across the intersection of stores to a corner shop. Inside, there was a little display tower with chocolates on it; some in boxes or others wrapped. Around the other parts of the little shop were shelves and tables holding more chocolates in little baskets or little bears holding chocolates with the words I Love You embroidered across their chests. Lissa pulled Delemir inside, wary of other customers in the cramped store space.  
  
"Wow," Delemir said, looking around as someone greeted Lissa by her first name.  
  
A woman walked over to Lissa and they immediately began chattering. Lissa pointed over at Delemir, whispering lowly, and the woman gasped slightly. Then Lissa made an exaggerated motion while she raised her voice from the whisper to a quiet chatter, but brought it back down to a speeding, hissing whisper about this and that. The woman laughed, but stopped herself with a gasp. Lissa nodded.  
  
"So, now we're staying at a hotel," Lissa finished, rolling her eyes and looking at Delemir. She pointed at the woman, who wasn't paying attention but telling the other woman behind the counter to clear out the back room, and then at her own head and made quick little circles at her ear. Delemir smirked. The action looked funny, but he hadn't the faintest idea what it meant.  
  
Delemir turned to look around the shop to keep himself busy while Lissa chattered quickly, probably no less than one hundred miles per hour. When he felt a presence standing beside him, he looked up saw a woman standing next to him. He felt suddenly short now, since the woman towered over him, even.  
  
"Can I help you, sir?" she asked expectantly.  
  
"No, I'm just—" He pointed over to where Lissa had been standing with the woman, seeing she wasn't there anymore. Delemir turned back to the other woman, puzzled.  
  
"Ms. Hogan is in the back. Would you like me to tell her you need her?" the woman offered, moving to go to the door to the storage room in the back.  
  
"No, I'll just wait. Thank you," Delemir said, smiling and trying to hear any of Lissa's conversation from the back.  
  
"So...he said he loves you," the other woman said.  
  
"Yes." Lissa sounded very careful with her words right now, so stuck with monosyllable sentences.  
  
"And?" the woman persuaded.  
  
"And what?" Lissa nearly snapped, but kept that particular edge out of her voice. "There is no 'and' in this game, Laura."  
  
"What did you say when he told you?" Laura wanted to know, sounding slight exasperated.  
  
"I told him I cared for him," Lissa mumbled. That stung at Delemir still, knowing she just cared. Though he knew there was more, he couldn't tell if it was love or just really deep caring.  
  
"Only cared? How could you not love a man like that? From what you told me a minute ago about how he told you he loved you, he sounds like every woman's dream!" Laura exclaimed.  
  
"I only told him I cared, woman," Lissa corrected. "I—"  
  
The rest of Lissa's sentence was cut off when someone bumped him by accident.  
  
"Sorry," the person murmured. Delemir ignored it and immediately zoned in to Lissa's conversation.  
  
"Oh," Laura was saying, very low and slowly.  
  
"Well, we have a lot of other shops to hit today. Thanks," Lissa said and exited the back room. She flashed a smile at Delemir and laid two folded bills on the counter. The woman there rang up the bag and gave Lissa a receipt then she was on her way over to Delemir. "See you later, girls, when my chocolate supply dwindles to nothing and the very existence of the world is at stake!"  
  
Lissa took Delemir's hand and they walked out of the shop together. They walked along first floor, above the metro level, to another shop with way too many people crammed in it. Lissa stepped around tables with little bottles of this and that on it. She picked up a bottle of perfume and sprayed it on her wrist. She sniffed it and grinned.  
  
"What is that smell?" Delemir asked as she tried another bottle on. He dodged a slim woman with black hair. He turned and watched her walk away, then back at Lissa. There was a fire in her eyes and he only grinned.  
  
"A mixture of scents. Why were you staring at that attractive woman with the mile-long legs and rail thin body and long, black hair?" she asked, running her sentences together.  
  
"As you said, she was attractive," Delemir began as Lissa absently sprayed another scent on her neck and wrist again. "And she had very long legs. And she was skinny. And, she—" He lifted Lissa's wrist and sniffed the scent there, kissing her wrist as he did so "—had long, shiny black hair."  
  
"Enough." Lissa's pulse was soaring as it was with him stroking her wrist as he was. She didn't need it going more with jealousy.  
  
"You smell good," he said, sniffing her neck and nipping at it gently.  
  
"Really," Lissa murmured, the attractive woman with the black hair forgotten again.  
  
"Mm-hmm. I hope you buy that scent, as you called it." Delemir grinned as the earthy, feminine scent filled his mind. It was almost spicy, if he let it linger enough. He saw Lissa grinning, bemusedly, at him. "What?"  
  
"I can't move, Delemir," she said, her grin spreading.  
  
Delemir looked over her and saw that she was, indeed, immobilized. He had her pressed against one of the tables, his lips at her ears almost. Moving back from her, Delemir saw Lissa immediately shy away to find another bottle to inspect. She picked up a small phial and then moved to a counter to pay for it further in the store. When she came back, she was carrying a bag. And she looked infuriated by what she saw.  
  
She'd left Delemir there at the perfume stands, thinking he couldn't put himself into any trouble. But what Lissa saw said he had put himself in almost all the trouble he could've. He was cornered by a tall—taller than she was and almost at eye level with Delemir—blonde woman. She was visibly and not so subtly flirting with her man.  
  
Lissa nearly turned red with jealously and anger as she saw this. So, bringing herself up to her full height, Lissa cleared her throat and walked towards Delemir and the flirtatious blonde.  
  
"Oh really?" the reedy voiced woman was saying. "I'm here all by myself. It's awfully dangerous for a woman like me to be by myself."  
  
"I—"  
  
"Delemir, darling, what do you think of this one?" Lissa sprayed something on her wrist at random and held it to Delemir's nose. Lissa tossed a dirty look at the blonde and grabbed Delemir's arm possessively. In woman's body language, that was like saying "Mine. Not yours, mine, and I won't share." Lissa saw the blonde give her a once over and sneer. Lissa returned the quick glancing over and the sneer, but it was more of a smirk as she saw that the woman was too thin, her skin was too pale and her lipstick too full. Her hair was flat and had hardly any style, but then again, most men found that alluring when it was too shiny.  
  
Delemir looked at Lissa exchange a fearsome look with the blonde before she turned to glare at him. "It's...wonderful," he murmured, catching the evil death glare Lissa sent him. "Excuse us," he told the blonde as Lissa tossed the bottle on a table and yanked him out of the store hurriedly.  
  
"What was that?" she demanded when they were in front of the shop they'd been in earlier with the chocolates.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" Delemir asked. He didn't quite understand what he had done wrong.  
  
"That blonde chick you had nearly crawling all over you in that shop back there!" Lissa said furiously, tossing her hand back towards the shop in question.  
  
"What about her?" Delemir asked, lifting his eyebrow at her.  
  
Lissa made an exasperated noise and shook her head. "Never mind. It's useless trying to explain it to you," she said, starting to walk away.  
  
"Melissa, you don't just start something like this and then tell me to never mind. And why is it useless trying to explain something to me? I'm not stupid," Delemir told her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him.  
  
Lissa glared up at him and didn't mind the icy feeling she felt towards him right now. "Fine. You don't just let some blonde crawl all over you like that one was when you love someone else, and when that someone else you love cares for you too," Lissa said hotly. "Now let me go." She knew it hurt him. That's why she said it.  
  
Delemir let her go and then followed her over to the escalator. "Why not the elevator?" he asked when they took the moving stairs.  
  
"I'll feel motion-sick and really dizzy later. But if you want to take it, go ahead." Lissa wasn't going to let her guard down right now, even if she did love the guy. She glanced at him quickly and lifted her eyebrow. "Didn't think so," she murmured as they walked to another store filled with little bottles of lotion and scents and soaps.  
  
As Delemir and Lissa entered the shop, an onslaught of smells hit them, assaulting the Elf's senses. He was nearly taken aback, but Lissa walked straight in, seemingly unaffected by the smells catching his attention here and there. He watched her walk through the shop, stopping occasionally to pick up a bottle or two and smell what fragrance it contained, but all in all, she made a beeline straight to an area with bottles filled with blue liquid. She grinned at herself, he mused, when she moved to pay for it. She obviously found something amusing.  
  
"What did you buy?" Delemir asked as she walked out and they started toward the escalators to go down.  
  
"Body spray," she answered curtly. "It's the only thing I've really ever used that reminds me of an ex-boyfriend once upon a time."  
  
Delemir made a distinct noise in his throat as they went down to the ground level then to the metro level. Time had seemed to slow, or at least to Delemir because he could slowly feel that throbbing in his heart coming. He surmised it was because Lissa was mad at him about—what? He still didn't understand. It was something about that blonde girl. What had she said?  
  
'You don't just let some blonde crawl all over you like that one was when you love someone else, and when that someone else you love cares for you too.'  
  
Lissa's voice echoed in his mind as her words came back to him. When they reached another shop, one with yet more scents in it, and mostly women inside, Delemir grabbed Lissa's arm and pulled her against him. He allowed himself the moment to see the look—deathly at first, then slightly frightened—in her eyes before he pressed his lips against hers firmly at first, but then going gentle so she fit more plaint against him. When he drew her back, he saw shock. He reveled in it for a moment, before reminding himself of what he'd done that for.  
  
"Why did you—Why did you do that? In the mall? In front of thousands of people?" Lissa demanded, her voice slightly frantic.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.  
  
Lissa sent him an inquiring look then smirked. She turned and started to go into the shop, but Delemir grabbed her arm and kept her with him.  
  
"I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier. Something about that blonde woman upset you," Delemir continued the obvious.  
  
"Nah, duh," Lissa said, bored and intrigued at the same time with this certainly different way of Delemir's acting.  
  
She saw him roll his eyes slightly then bring her close again. "Shall I have to kiss you again to quiet you so I can apologize correctly, or will you be quiet on your own?" he said quietly, his voice soothing and gentle.  
  
Lissa thought a moment. "I'll be quiet on my own as long as you promise that kiss for later," she bargained.  
  
"Fine. I'm sorry I upset you. As you know, I'm not exactly all too familiar with all of this and the women back where I used to live weren't as forward. I thought nothing of it because I love you," Delemir said.  
  
There was a slight shock and understanding on Lissa's face as she processed the words. When she reached the part about 'where he used to live,' she stopped, not wanting to think of that now.  
  
"What is it?" Delemir asked upon her softened look and mournful eyes. He knew she was slightly troubled right then. He took her hand in his gently and waited for her to speak.  
  
"Nothing, forget it," she said at last, about thirty solid seconds later. "I'm fine, you're fine, we're both fine. Case is closed."  
  
Delemir nodded, only dropping it now since they were in public. They he'd only known Lissa for a few months, he knew that when someone pressed her to talk about something she didn't, she either gave you the cold shoulder then exploded with her anger, or just skipped the cold shoulder and blew up at you.  
  
He watched her walk into the shop and browse, declining any help offered her. He slowly stepped in behind her, finding it was another shop that sold perfume, and walked over to her just as she picked up a bottle. She made a shocked and amused noise before glancing up at him.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Expensive," she murmured, pointing at the twenty-dollar bottle of perfume. "I may like this scent, but not enough to pay this much." She kept her voice low, quieter than the soft, seductive music playing.  
  
Delemir grinned and picked up a similar, only smaller, bottle. "Is this the same one?" he asked, letting her see it.  
  
"Yes. Miraculously, you found a smaller, cheaper bottle of it, but will keep me stocked for a good while," she grinned. "Come on."  
  
They paid for the scent, then walked out. They walked a little ways, passed shops and people. Lissa stopped in front of a dress shop and looked at him.  
  
"Is there any place you wanted to stop and look at? I mean, I was steamed upstairs and was walking fast enough down here that we could have passed a place you wanted to look at," Lissa said, leaning against the threshold of the shop's door.  
  
Delemir looked passed her and saw a slinky black dress. It was spaghetti strapped, he remembered the term, and slightly low cut in a V-neck. The dress had slight frills at the bottom where sheer pieces of material overlapped and gave it that dangerous, weathered—or slightly tattered if need be—look as the small fullness slightly rippled when a woman walked by. Delemir couldn't help but think about Lissa wearing it.  
  
"Delemir?" he heard her voice cut through his thoughts, slightly amused and puzzled.  
  
"Nope, I'm, ah, just fine following you around," he said, grinning. He couldn't stop his mind when, with the image of Lissa wearing it still, it began to weave little fantasies about Lissa and the dress. He leaned over to see the black piece of material better.  
  
"Are you sure? We could go elsewhere if you like. I have a few more stops to make if you wanted to walk around." Lissa watched Delemir for a moment before she leaned over to be in his line of vision. "Delemir?" she asked, her voice slightly singsong.  
  
"Hmm?" Delemir replied absently, forcing his eyes to meet Lissa's.  
  
"What were you doing?" she asked warily, almost afraid of the answer.  
  
"Ah, nothing. Are you going in there?" Delemir asked, suddenly aware of her original intentions.  
  
"Yeah," Lissa replied slowly. "Were you—"  
  
Delemir raised his eyebrows innocently, as if she were accusing him of slander, once again, of one of her favorite things.  
  
"Thinking about...something strange?" Lissa took a step forward, closer to him and away from the store.  
  
"Me? Not at all," Delemir replied, smiling as if there were a halo above his head, which Lissa could have sworn she'd seen. A very undeserved halo, none the least.  
  
Lissa raised her eyebrows, though, as well in a familiar manner. "If you say so, Delemir." She stepped passed him, glancing at him with a peculiar look on her face. Then, either to Delemir's horror or his manly, perverse delight, she walked over to the slinky black dress. She looked at the price tag and Delemir could hear her whistle lowly.  
  
"Excuse me, ma'am," a worker at the shop said, coming up to Lissa. "All prices are half off today." The woman looked at Lissa with the hope of her buying something evident in her eyes.  
  
"Thank you," Lissa said as pleasantly as she could with all of the excitement bubbling inside of her. She looked at the tag again and began to do mental math. "Okay, half of one hundred and eighty-five dollars is..."  
  
"Ninety-two dollars and fifty cents," Delemir said, looking at Lissa sheepishly under her penetrating gaze.  
  
"Go outside for a minute, Delemir, before I kill you," she said lowly and stared blandly at him, the price tag still in her hand.  
  
Delemir snickered slightly and went out of the shop. He stood there, watching all of the people. He was a good few inches taller than some of them, and some others were about his height. That made him think of Onaumbar, for some reason, and how he had grown in his anger in the dreams Delemir had experienced. Then, he also remembered Lissa mentioning something about them occasionally and how Onaumbar had always been really tall. She'd gone on about being short as it was anyway, but he had just seemed really tall.  
  
"Hey," Lissa said, tapping his shoulder. "Zoned out?"  
  
"Did you buy that dress?" he wanted to know and offered to carry the bag.  
  
"Maybe," Lissa grinned, keeping the bag in her arms. "Like I'd tell you."  
  
Delemir rolled his eyes slightly and followed her as she went on a more extensive journey of the mall. He wondered why her feet didn't hurt, because—strange as it seemed—his feet were feeling a little tired. He thought why that had never happened before, and this was the first time he ever remembered feeling his feet throbbing.  
  
As Lissa stopped in front of another small shop, she grinned at him. "Last stop, I promise," she said. This was a very quick trip, seeing as she walked to one corner of the room, picked up a bag with green wrapped things in it, then went to pay for it.  
  
"Anything new?" Lissa asked the cashier.  
  
"Nope," the young, most likely teenage boy answered, handing her a receipt. "Not since last time."  
  
"Hah, thanks," she offered a radiant smile then walked out with Delemir.  
  
"What is in the bag?" Delemir asked as they made their way back to the ground level to go out to the bus stop.  
  
"More chocolate," Lissa said simply. "I'm staying in a hotel, I'm stressed. I eat chocolate when I'm stressed." Delemir grinned at her logic.  
  
"If you say so," he replied as they walked out into the waning afternoon. When they reached the benches for the bus stop to take them back to the hotel, Delemir sat down and watched Lissa rearrange the bags she had. She stuffed the smaller bags inside of the bigger bags, and the medium bag inside of the biggest bag from the dress shop. They ended up with two full bags.  
  
"Lissa sit down please," Delemir said when she only stood in front of him, facing the street.  
  
"No," Lissa said, continuing to go up on the balls of her feet for about ten seconds, then back on her heels for another ten or fifteen seconds.  
  
"Please?" Delemir pleaded, watching her with growing, avid interest.  
  
"No." Lissa kept her eyes toward the road and continued the 'exercise,' Delemir guessed, as she waited.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Lissa turned around to stare at Delemir in an odd manner. "If I sit down now, I'll be feeling terrible for ballet later this week," she told him and turned back around.  
  
"Ballet?" Delemir asked, this having been the first time she'd spoken of it. He knew that classes had started up again because she'd left the house around five o'clock on Friday nights to go there, and was back late, around ten.  
  
"Yeah. I almost forgot it was tomorrow, too," she murmured, mostly to herself. She sighed loudly as the bus pulled up. "Finally."  
  
"Tomorrow?" Delemir asked as they stepped on with the bags.  
  
"Yes, tomorrow. We have to go by the house and find my shoes and all," she said quietly, her voice quivering.  
  
"You don't want to go back there," he murmured.  
  
"Heck no," Lissa said ironically. "Not until that moron Onaumbar is g—"  
  
Lissa sighed audibly again as the bus went over a large bump in the road. There were 'oohs' and 'ahhs' and nonchalant hoots about this or that from the back. She turned her head and saw a man coming up to the front at a stoplight with a stained white shirt.  
  
"Hey, man, you made me spill my hot coffee all over my new shirt!" he shouted, holding out his shirt to show them.  
  
"Sorry," the driver said quietly and in a thick Asian accent.  
  
"What?" The other looked as though the driver had called him a nasty name.  
  
"He said he's sorry. Would you like a written contract of it with fancy big words and a check to the mall to buy another one?" Lissa said, looking at the man with a steely gaze.  
  
The man turned to face Lissa slowly as if she'd slapped him. "Stay outta this, woman, or else I'll pull you and your boyfriend in it in a way you won't like!" the man shouted.  
  
"Excuse me," Lissa said, standing in her seat, irony and shock in her eyes. "Did you just call me 'woman'?"  
  
"Lissa, my love, please don't—"  
  
"Delemir, be quiet. That was considered an insult, and I don't tolerate being called 'woman' by anyone out of my circle of friends," Lissa said, not letting her gaze away from the man's.  
  
"To answer your question, woman," the man began, enunciating and inflecting on the word 'woman' more than one normally would have, "I did. What're you gonna do about it?"  
  
Lissa looked ready to think of a very nasty retort when the bus stopped in the hotel parking lot. "I loathe to disgruntle you on this eventuality, but I am indisposed to disregard your solicitation to make an article of this unscrupulous event considering this particular sector of the urban area is my locale to disembark the transit vehicle," Lissa said after a moment. She grinned at the puzzled look the man gave her, then shoved Delemir off of the bus and into the hotel.  
  
"What was that?" Delemir asked, remembering her line with the 'Blonde' incident. He watched her they went to the elevator. She didn't answer until they were in the elevator.  
  
"An exercise of my vocabulary and if I could confuse someone besides you in one day," Lissa said, grinning at him. Delemir smirked back at her as the last person on the elevator stepped off at the fifth floor.  
  
"Thank God. Hope it doesn't stop, okay?" Lissa said, slightly breathless.  
  
"What?" Delemir was the one she'd confused now. She was good at that.  
  
"Never mind," she said and kissed him suddenly. "I had to do that—for some reason."  
  
Delemir looked down at her, stunned. He couldn't think of anything to say as the elevator stopped at their floor and two people were waiting to ride down. Lissa pulled him and the bags out of the elevator and off toward their room. When they stepped in, Lissa dropped one bag on the floor and took the other one from the dress shop back with her into the bedroom.  
  
"You take the bathroom and change into this," Lissa said some minutes later, opening the door a little and thrusting her arm out with clothes in her hand. Delemir reached out to take the slacks and shirt when she suddenly took them back. "Wait, wait, wait. I need the bathroom. Um, go into the living room and don't peek while I stumble into the bathroom half- dressed."  
  
"What?" Delemir, shocked, couldn't believe his pointed ears. "The Valar forbid I peek if you are only half-dressed, Melissa," he said, turning to stuff his nose in a corner.  
  
Lissa grinned as she hobbled, clad in the black dress she'd bought from the shop in the mall and impossibly high shoes, to the bathroom. She sneaked a glance at Delemir, staring at the door with avid interest. She hummed a tune that came to her mind automatically as she shut the door.  
  
All Delemir heard was the soft scuffling of her feet as she walked from one room to the other and then the highest of high notes from an opera she listened to regularly. Then the bathroom door shut and he could hear audible and coherent words from the opera during the main thematic song.  
  
Walking to the back bedroom where the clothes were, he wondered what she had in mind for him to do that night instead of swim and sit down at the bar for happy hour, as she had blatantly and colorfully put it.  
  
"Oh boy," he murmured, letting out a long breath.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hehehe, cliffhanger. *says in a radio announcer's voice* Stay tuned after this disclaimer for a special note from the author! DISCLAIMER: Okay, I don't own the Valar, Lothlórien, or anything else I failed to remember here that I wrote in this chapter that has a copyright. The stores in the Pentagon City Mall are real ones, of which they include (in order that they appeared) Godiva; Macy's; Bath and Body Works; Victoria's Secret Beauty (hehehe); Ellie; and Lindt. In Ellie, the dress shop, there really is/was a black dress like the one Lissa bought. I remember what it looked like. It really was $185 and it was half price that day I went a few weeks ago in December. I sketched it and even wrote little notes down about how it looked to remember better. It is/was a very beautiful dress and I plan on hoping to sew it one day. ^-^ Anyhow.........  
  
SPECIAL NOTE!! *radio DJ's voice again* What does Lissa have in store for Delemir? Why was she wearing the black dress that she'd bought from a shop in the Pentagon City Mall? What's better than swimming and happy hour in a hotel? Find out in the next installment of Love's Philosophy! LOL! 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
Lissa slowly applied her makeup, being very deliberate and careful with each stroke and line she made. She wanted to look absolutely irresistible when she told him her secret about them both. That's one reason why she'd gone on a shopping spree that day and was going to a restaurant that served Greek food just a few blocks away. It was walking distance, she mused, but not in the heels she would be wearing soon.  
  
Glancing at the five-inch stiletto high heels, she grimaced. It hurt just thinking about walking five or more blocks to a restaurant. That's why she had a car on the lower level of the parking garage.  
  
She grinned now as she dabbed on some of the perfume Delemir had found a smaller bottle of for her. She touched it just in the hollow between her breasts, at her wrists and on the skin below her ears. Those, she knew, were the best places for perfume, especially sweet, seductive scents. She'd talked to enough of her married friends and seen enough TV to know that.  
  
Checking over herself in the mirror again, she grinned. She had her hair left now. That would be fun.  
  
"Delemir, do you like one or two?" she called through the door warily.  
  
"Two! Why?" he asked, obviously done changing into the slacks and dress shirt. She grinned and picked up the boar bristle hairbrush.  
  
"Here, brush your hair and do something with it so it isn't just hanging there," Lissa said, thrusting the brush out to him, intentionally letting the scent out to tease him.  
  
She shut the door and began to carefully braid the hair between the top of her ear and her crown. When she had two slim braids, she brought them back and literally tied them together. Deciding that they would come undone, she found a clip with a butterfly adorning it and secured the two braids together at the back of her head. She grinned at how it accented the red in her hair that was enhanced by the black dress.  
  
Checking herself over once more, not wanting anything out of place, she picked off a little imaginary piece of lint from the fabric over her stomach. A sly, feminine smile crept over her face as she pulled on the high heels, fixing them on her foot carefully. When she was sure she could walk, she opened the door and whistled.  
  
"Delemir," she said in a singsong voice. He turned from looking out of the window in the bedroom and saw her. His jaw dropped. "Do you like it?"  
  
Dear Lord, his fantasies were coming true. She was in that black dress and she looked just as he'd pictured her to. He felt a sharp pang of desire deep within him, but he controlled it with effort as he watched her turn a slow circle.  
  
"That's why you asked one or two," he said when he could move over to her. He lifted the braid in the back and grinned. "Yes, two does nicely."  
  
"I thought so," Lissa agreed. "Shall we go?" Delemir was slowly moving in on her to kiss her, and that was exactly what Lissa wanted.  
  
"Go where?" he murmured when his lips were a whisper away from hers.  
  
"Out to eat. There's this great place I know—it has wonderful scallops and a Greek salad," Lissa said, finding she needed to help herself out with speaking as his arms encircled her waist.  
  
"Hmm. Why don't we just say in?" Delemir asked, resisting the urge to kiss her but to rub his lips over her cheeks gently.  
  
"Because, I readied myself to go out," Lissa murmured, leaning against him as she was unable to stand on her own. "We're going out. And I can't believe I'm going to drive in these heels." She tried to stand to accentuate her point, but fell, unintentionally, back against Delemir.  
  
"Neither do I," he said and kissed her finally.  
  
Her taste exploded in him, just as he'd imagined it, just as he'd known it would. And just as he'd hoped it would, he mused to himself as he changed the angle and deepened the kiss for only a moment before drawing back.  
  
"You're wearing one of the scents you bought today," Delemir noted, kissing her lips again gently.  
  
"Yes, the one you picked out," Lissa informed him, grinning. "Or at least found another bottle of."  
  
"Yes, that one." Delemir grinned and moved to kiss her deeper again.  
  
"Shall we go?" Lissa was going to leave him wanting her all night, and not let him have at least a kiss from her until later. That was her plan. She'd drive him insane until he was ready to corner her and plunder. Then she'd say it, just as that dangerous gleam came in his eyes. It'd be interesting to see his reaction. Very interesting, she mused. Laughing, she started off toward the door and the elevator to go downstairs.  
  
Delemir knew Lissa had a plan in mind, and a devious one. He's seem the mischievous gleam in her eyes when she'd stared up at him, just before he kissed her. Just before he wrote the invitation to offer her his heart. That was what he was going to do tonight. He was going to offer her his heart, truly and forever. He knew it was dangerous—he could die should she reject him. He knew it was risky—he would die if he didn't take those risks. So, when they reached the bottom floor of the parking garage, he watched Lissa walk out of the elevator in the stiletto heels and over to the car she'd cleaned out and washed. It was white, they'd found out, much to Lissa's amazement. It was an old Neon, a '92 model. As they climbed in it, it took a minute to start the engine started before they were able to pull out.  
  
"You look nice tonight," Delemir said, feeling strange and slightly uncomfortable. He glanced at her and saw a wicked grin on her face.  
  
"Yeah? So do you. I'm glad you let me stuff that shirt in your bag," Lissa murmured, turning right. "Otherwise we'd be stopping at the mall again and going to another store."  
  
Delemir shuddered slightly. "I have never seen so many people in one place before. It is slightly frightening to think there are that many strangers that exchange money for things. How do you know they did not trick you?" he wondered aloud.  
  
Lissa laughed as she pulled into a parking lot. She parked the little jelly bean car and turned to face him, saying, "Delemir. Here in my world, there aren't many thieves in stores that are behind the counter. They have these little tag things on whatever you're going to buy, and they have something like a computer chip, I think, in them so when the little scanner thing goes over it, it picks up a signal and it says how much the item is. Like this—" She picked up her purse as they walked out and she fished out a bottle of perfume. "Here, on this, it has a bar code, the thing with the signal. So when the scanner thing goes over it, it picks up the signal and bing! It rings it up and says how much you have to pay."  
  
"Sounds complicated," Delemir murmured as she took his hand.  
  
"Of course. All things are complicated when I explain them," Lissa grinned at him. "That's the joy of being female."  
  
When they stepped into the restaurant, they were immediately serviced and seated in a discrete corner. They both ordered water to drink, and bread to munch on until they had ordered the rest of their meal. Lissa looked confidently at the menu, whilst Delemir looked slightly confused at it.  
  
"Melissa, I have not the faintest idea what some of these things are," he told her in her ear.  
  
Something inside Lissa jumped then, with his lips so close to her ear, whispering. She giggled at herself and him. "I'll order for you. Actually, since there's this one plate that I had when I was last here a good few years ago, I couldn't eat it all by myself, so we'll share that," she said, leaning over him to point at something on the menu. Purposely, she brushed against his arm and shoulder to see the menu then licked her lips. "That one. Ktenia maratho, also known as Scallops fennel. Though the ones at Orleans House are better." She whispered the last part as the water came up to them.  
  
"May I take your order?" he asked, his Greek accent thick.  
  
"Yes, um, we'll take the Scallops fennel, please, for now." Lissa beamed up at him, then glanced back down at Delemir's menu, deciding for later things.  
  
"Is that all?" the tall, pepper-and-salt haired man asked.  
  
"Right now, it is. Thank you," Lissa said. "Remember the Tiramisouzo and the St. John Red, all right?" she whispered to Delemir, close to his ear this time.  
  
"All right," he managed to say when he caught another strong whiff of her perfume. When she sat down again, she grinned at him, a sultry, feminine smile.  
  
"So, what do you think so far?" she asked him quietly.  
  
"Of what?" That scent she'd dabbed on was increasing and filling his senses, though he seemed to be the only one affected by it. Then, he saw her finger go just along the V-necked hem and linger at the inner most point. He swallowed hard and forced his gaze to her face, which was almost as tempting. Her lips were slightly parted—an invitation? Her eyes were dark, the amber flecks enhanced and almost glowing eerily. He just now noticed a slight downward slant in her eyes as the lids closed slowly and opened at just the same speed. Her cheeks were a deep rose blush that hinted that she knew something he didn't. He wondered what it was.  
  
"The restaurant and the hotel. It's my fault we're having to stay at the hotel," she said, shifting slightly so she leaned comfortably in the corner between two walls.  
  
"No, it isn't." Delemir cleared his throat and took a sip of his water as he felt a wave of heat go through his body. "It is perfectly fine that you would want to be out of your house with Onaumbar there. He is quite a frightening character."  
  
Lissa winced slightly upon a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach and a quick clenching in her heart. She covered it up and watched Delemir intently. "Yes, he is," she said softly, her voice low and tantalizing.  
  
"And he is after you, all things considered," Delemir pointed out.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Obvious," Lissa murmured, sipping her water and leaving a print of lipstick there.  
  
Just how she moved, Delemir told himself, was driving him insane. Then, when you added her looks and how she was enunciating her words, he was surprised he wasn't half-mad and going on the brink of losing all sanity. He was much more surprised he hadn't leaned forward and kissed her yet.  
  
"Delemir," she said quietly, flicking her hair over her shoulders. This was it, she knew. She saw that gleam in his eyes just veering on the edge of dangerous, but was still on the red warning bells.  
  
Then, he leaned over close to her, ready to kiss her senseless and throwing gentleness aside. He cupped the back of her neck to bring her closer to him, firmly, and to see the look of thrill in her eyes, just behind the sense of secrets running through her. That's what stopped him a millisecond from kissing her and a whisper away from her lips.  
  
"Melissa?" he said quietly, his lips slightly brushing hers as he spoke.  
  
"Delemir," she said, leaning her head back a little more, "I have to tell you something."  
  
Delemir drew back slightly to look at her. "Yes?" he asked upon her long silence.  
  
"Delemir, I l—"  
  
Lissa was cut off by a sudden call of her name—her full first name. She looked up and saw a tall, about 5'6", woman waving slightly. Her hair, going from light to dark brown, bounced slightly, causing the hints of natural auburn to become visible in the dim lighted restaurant. Her hazel/green eyes gleamed with irony at seeing her there. Her British accent was apparent as she called Lissa's name.  
  
"Charlene?" Lissa said, sitting up straighter and bumping into Delemir. That went unnoticed as she stood up now and went to her friend. "Charli, what are you doing here? How long have you been in the U.S.?"  
  
"About two days. I'm staying at a hotel," she said, glancing at Delemir. She grinned at Lissa.  
  
"Which hotel?" Lissa asked, unintentionally ignoring the waiter. Charli said the name of her hotel and Lissa's eyes widened. "Really? Delemir and I are staying there, too!"  
  
"Awesome," Charli said. "Delemir?" She finally caught that a second after her first response.  
  
"Yes, Delemir," Lissa said, pointing at him. "Won't you have dinner with us here? You can munch off of our plate since it's horrendous. We ordered scallops, if that's fine."  
  
"Um, sure," Charli answered hesitantly.  
  
Lissa cleared the matter with the waiter and asked that another roll be brought out for Charli, then they all sat down. Lissa, finally remembering what she had set out to do before Charli had appeared, sighed and leaned against Delemir's shoulder as the scallops were served.  
  
"Thank you," she said to the waiter.  
  
"I will check on you three later," he said then disappeared.  
  
Lissa grinned and unrolled her silverware from the napkin. Taking the first bite of the food, she had the joy of feeling the tastes explode inside of her mouth. The scallops were slightly tangy in the fennel sauce, probably from the lemon juice. Then, she had a taste of the garlicky part of it and felt her mouth begin to water.  
  
"How is it?" Delemir murmured in her ear softly.  
  
"Perfect, just as I remember it," she said. "Oh, if you're going to try the rice," she added aloud to both Delemir and Charli, "mix it with the fennel sauce first. The rice is a little bland."  
  
"All right," Charli said and dug in. Delemir was a little hesitant, but tried the other half of Lissa's scallop and found he liked it.  
  
About fifteen to twenty minutes later, the plate was only left with remnants of Scallops Fennel and forks piled over it. There were a few grains of rice left, and a lot of sauce there, but it was being dabbed up with bread chunks over conversation.  
  
"Is there anything else you would like?" the waiter asked upon his return.  
  
"Yes," Lissa said, sitting up. "Could you bring the dessert menu out for my friend please?"  
  
"I'll just rely on the intuition that you'll order something good and I'll watch you in action," Charli said, grinning.  
  
"All right. Then, we'll have two plates of the Tiramisouzo and three glasses of St. John Red wine, please," Lissa said and smiled.  
  
"Are any of you above the age of twenty-one?" the waiter asked.  
  
"We all are," Delemir said, grinning.  
  
To show proof, Lissa pulled out her I.D. card.  
  
"Of course," the waiter said and left to prepare the desserts.  
  
"So, how did you two meet?" Charli asked.  
  
Lissa cleared her throat and sat forward to lean on her elbows on the table. "It's actually an odd story," she said, glancing at Delemir. "A few weeks before Christmas, Delemir shows up at my house saying that he's thinking of staying in this area, but is looking out for a place to stay and wanted to know if he could stay at my place for a while. I said fine, but with some hesitation. We haven't quite found a place for him yet, but we almost have one."  
  
"Ahh, so why are you two in a hotel right now?" Charli asked again, processing everything.  
  
"Remodeling the kitchen," Lissa said as Delemir answered with, "Pest problem."  
  
"Which is it?" Charli wanted to know, smirking. Her oval-shaped eyes glinted as the flutes of wine were presented to them.  
  
"Your coffee will be coming with the Tiramisouzo." The waiter didn't stall for a comment, but left again to finish the preparation of the dessert.  
  
"Well?" Charli pressed, sipping the red wine.  
  
"Um, we're remodeling because of a pest problem in the floor. Termites, I think," Lissa said slowly and deliberately over the rim of her glass. She felt a chill go down her back as Delemir rested his hand at the base of her neck and kneaded there gently.  
  
"Oh, okay. So, Delemir, what do you do?" Charli asked, leaning forward over the table.  
  
"I am currently critiquing Lissa's writing in return for boarding and meals," Delemir said easily, continuing to knead the slight tense muscles in Lissa's neck. He wanted to kiss that spot gently, but felt it wouldn't be right in front of someone else that he was just meeting.  
  
"And how is she doing with it?" Charli grinned, recognizing the look of wanting and longing in Delemir's eyes when he looked at Lissa.  
  
"She's doing beautifully. She has recently been asked by her publisher to write a full-length novel aside from her children's stories. From what I have read of how much she has written, it is coming along perfectly," he said, eyeing Lissa smugly.  
  
"And why didn't I hear tale of this?" Charli asked, directing her question to Lissa.  
  
"Um, because," she began as the dessert was served with the coffee and cream cheese, "I haven't been able to go on my computer that much lately. Then, whenever I could it was late and you were already asleep. Then, you've also been here for two days, plus spending time on an airplane does put a dent in it."  
  
Charli laughed as she took a bite of the dessert. "All right, enough explanations. I follow your reasons," she said.  
  
Delemir, also listening to the conversation, had been staring at the coffee in front of him with a strange look. Lissa had made coffee before, but none like this. It smelled slightly strange—different from the coffee she made normally. It had a darker color to it as he hazarded to stir it. He sniffed it slightly and smelled something familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on it. He sipped it and finally figured out what it was. Chocolate. It was chocolate coffee.  
  
Jerking his head back slightly upon seeing something right in front of his face, he saw that Lissa was holding out her fork with a little of the Tiramisouzo there. He took a bite and nodded his head. "Good," he mumbled, then leaned close to her ear. He whispered something to her quietly that made her eyes widen and make an effort to keep her mouth closed as she munched on the dessert.  
  
"What?" Charli said, seeing the look exchanged between them.  
  
"Nothing," Lissa said, still eyeing Delemir. "He's just being bad."  
  
"Ooh," Charli murmured, taking another bite of the dessert.  
  
And that was how the three spent their evening. They shared dinner and dessert, munching on this, sipping on that, then bid farewell about twenty minutes after they were finished. Lissa picked up the bill of $34.25, refusing any help on it, and then they left. The moment Lissa and Delemir were in her car, Delemir turned to her.  
  
"What is it?" Lissa asked, reaching up to touch his cheek gently. He leaned forward, quicker than expected, but stopped a few inches from her face.  
  
"I love you," he whispered. "How many times have I told you today?"  
  
"About three, including now," Lissa whispered back, wanting to tell him the same thing.  
  
"I love you, I love you, I love you," he said, kissing her at intervals between each time. "That's six, right?"  
  
Lissa kissed him again before answering. "Yes, it is. Delemir," she murmured, breathlessly. "I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" Delemir sighed to himself when she leaned back into her seat and cranked the car up again.  
  
"I haven't been completely honest with you over everything lately. I'm sorry for that. But I can't tell you everything right now." She slowly pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, chewing on a stick of gum she'd pulled out of her purse.  
  
"Why?" Delemir wanted to know, sitting back against the chair to watch the lights around them pass by.  
  
"I guess I'm scared," Lissa murmured, stopping at a traffic light. "Come here." When Delemir leaned forward, she kissed him gently again. "But I do promise that I will tell you the second I can, whether it's three in the morning or we're crowded in an elevator," she vowed.  
  
"All right." Delemir kissed her again just as the light turned green. He watched Lissa turn her attention back to driving and heard her sigh contently when their hotel came into view. She slowly pulled up in the front parking lot and around to the back of it. She went through the procedure of sticking the key in the slot and taking it out for the garage door to open. Slowly driving in, she went to the lower level of the garage and parked in the same spot they'd been in only an hour and a half earlier. They both stepped out as another car was pulling into the garage. Lissa waved in a neighborly manner then started off to the elevator to go to the lobby level.  
  
"What are you doing?" Delemir asked when she'd hit the button and was now leaning over her shoe and working at the strap.  
  
"Taking these shoes off," Lissa answered, fighting with them until she had them off as the elevator door opened. She hooked her fingers around the back strap and walked across to hit the button to go up again.  
  
"Hi," a familiar voice said from behind Lissa. She turned to see Charli again.  
  
"Hello. Twice in one night," she said, grinning. One of the doors opened and Lissa, Delemir, and Charli all walked onto it. "What floor are you on?"  
  
"Three," Charli said, hitting the button on the other side.  
  
"Lucky you. We're on twelve," Lissa murmured, leaning against Delemir's shoulder and taking his hand in hers. "All the way at the top."  
  
"Hmm," Charli said as the elevator stopped. "Meet me for happy hour tomorrow night?"  
  
"Sure!" Lissa said, waving. "See you there."  
  
Then the doors closed and Delemir turned to face Lissa. He took her face in his hands gently and kissed her patiently, soft and coaxing.  
  
"What was that for?" Lissa asked when Delemir let go of her.  
  
"I love you," he told her when they walked out onto the hallway to go back to their room.  
  
"Seven. Are you shooting for ten or fifteen?" she wanted to know, pleased with how the carpet felt under her feet.  
  
"Whichever it ends up as," Delemir said quietly. When they reached the door, he suddenly felt a little strange.  
  
"Are you all right?" Lissa asked when she noticed the look on his face and how he paled. She pressed her hand to his forehead and sighed. "Poor baby, you've a fever."  
  
"What? Elves can't be sick!" Delemir exclaimed. He may be an Elf, but he surely knew what a fever was. "I—Hold that thought." He touched her cheek gently, then made it apparent he wasn't feeling well as he rushed to the bathroom. A hurling sound was heard and Lissa frowned.  
  
He was right. Elves were immune to sickness. Why was he sick? Was it food poisoning? If it was, why wasn't she throwing up? Could it have been he had a bad scallop, or the scallops themselves on his system? No, they'd had them a few weeks before in Rosslyn. Was it the wine? Quite possibly, she mused, since Elves never really drank the human wine. Then it hit her—he'd had all of the other things they'd had for dinner except for chocolate in the coffee. This was his first time eating chocolate.  
  
Sighing, she walked into the bathroom and saw him leaning over the toilet, trembling slightly.  
  
"Ooh, poor thing," she cooed, wetting a peach washcloth and pressing it against his neck. She pulled his hair behind his shoulders and held it there for him.  
  
"Thank you," he said quietly, slightly strained.  
  
Lissa smiled at him before she nuzzled the back of his neck gently and pressing a kiss there. "I know why you're sick," she said close to his ear now.  
  
"Why?" Delemir was no longer mesmerized by the scent and look of Lissa, but was being held captive by the sick, swirling feeling in his stomach.  
  
"The chocolate coffee. I don't supposed there was chocolate in Middle- Earth, was there?" she asked, dabbing the cloth at his neck when he gagged slightly.  
  
"No, not that I remember, but the memory of you and how beautiful you look and the feeling of sickness has pretty much impaired remembering anything," Delemir mumbled, closing his eyes. "Could I have spread this to you from kissing you earlier?"  
  
"No, I don't think so. See, we have a lot of chocolate here so my system is used to it, but while they don't have any in Middle-Earth, your system isn't. So, unless it was a virus, which is impossible, I doubt I'll be sick." She looked around on the counter and saw a hair tie. She reached over Delemir, brushing against him slightly, until she could grab it. Carefully, wary of is ears, she confined his hair back so she didn't have to hold it.  
  
"Thank you once again," Delemir said quietly, rubbing his forehead.  
  
"No problem." Lissa wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "Poor baby," she murmured. "It's no fun being sick."  
  
"No, especially this being my first time," he said, feeling another gag coming.  
  
Lissa, having felt it as well, let go of him and rubbed his back, pressing the wet cloth over his neck. 'I love you,' she thought to herself. 'I hate to see you like this. Feel better, my love.'  
  
"I'm going to go stand out on the balcony," Lissa said after a minute. "I'll leave the door open, so holler if you need anything."  
  
"All right," Delemir mumbled, leaning back against the counter. He began to unbutton the shirt slowly.  
  
"Don't forget to brush your teeth or else you'll taste the nastiness of throw up later, still," she added, standing by the door. She took her black knee high stockings off and set them on the counter so she was now barefoot.  
  
Delemir made an incoherent mumble as he pulled his shirt off and set it beside him. Lissa had the joy and pleasure of seeing a bare Elf chest again before she left to go outside to think in the crisp January air. Outside, she leaned against the rail and let the wind blow around her, picking her hair up off of her back gently and letting it fall again. She felt so content right now, as if nothing would dampen her spirits, much less try to. Albeit if they did, she would have something to say about it. 'Poor Delemir,' she thought suddenly. 'He's never been sick before in his life, and here he is, sick because he had chocolate coffee with his dessert. I should go back to him.' But, even as she thought that, she felt Delemir's presence behind her. "I'm going to take a quick shower," he told her. "All right. Do you feel better?" she asked, turning. He was still bare- chested in the slacks only, but he was still handsome with his lithe body and firm muscles under his skin. She longed to reach out to touch him, but kept her itching hands behind her back. "Yes, a little." He knew what she was thinking. He'd hazarded to dip inside her mind for only a moment, and had been slightly embarrassed when he'd found where her thoughts were. "Thank you," he murmured, extending his hands to her. She slowly put her hands in his and he held them tight.  
  
"For what?" she asked. She looked up into his blue eyes and saw that they were slightly dimmed. He was hurting. Why? What was on his mind that made him think as he was about whatever was going through him?  
  
"For sitting there a minute ago when I was throwing up," Delemir explained. He saw the offered sympathy in her eyes, but knew it wasn't because he was sick. She knew he had to tell her something, to give her something. How long had she known?  
  
"Oh, well, you sat with me that one time before Christmas when Connor was there and I was slightly hung over. It's only right I should do the same with you. Well, save for the hangover," she murmured, her pulse jumping as he rubbed his fingers over her knuckles.  
  
"I love you," he told her quietly. "I always will, I swear that to you."  
  
"I know," Lissa murmured, falling against him and wrapping her arms around him. "So do I," she whispered inaudibly, mostly in her mind.  
  
Delemir jolted slightly from that thought he read, but didn't know what it applied to. She could have been thinking of something completely off the subject when he dipped in her mind to see what she thought when he told her his feelings, but he doubted it.  
  
"I need to take that shower," he said suddenly.  
  
"All right," Lissa said, rising on her toes to kiss his brow gently. "No fever anymore. Have fun, love." She ran her hands over his back gently, causing his muscles to tremble, before he walked away from her hastily. What was wrong with him? Why did he leave so suddenly when they were having a moment? A soft, gentle, romantic moment, she mused.  
  
'Moron, sure, go ahead and leave me here to think about the feelings you awake in me,' Lissa thought, the endearment playful. She turned and leaned against the balcony rail again and sighed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa stood out on the terrace in her new black dress, still, the sheer, gauzy, black outer layers whipping around her legs in the windy night air. She sighed, feeling perfectly content. Her hair, wispy and slightly curly from how it dried from her daily shower, blew around her and created a halo- like image around her head.  
  
That's how Delemir saw her after his shower. He was still toweling off his chest and hair, wearing only the jeans he'd put on again. But when he saw her now, he didn't think of a strong woman able to take care of herself now. He saw her and thought of a fragile woman that was pampered every day. He thought of a goddess the way her hair blew around her and how her dress added to the darkness and let her skin, still lightly tanned but showing pale now, be seen in the dark.  
  
That's how he went to her. With the thought of her being a fragile thing that could and would break in his hands and with the means of being as gentle as he would with a pressure bomb. When he shut the screen door, she didn't turn, though she knew he was out there now. He knew she felt him there, and would feel him more.  
  
When she did turn, Lissa was taken aback by what she saw. Instead of seeing Delemir in jeans and a bare chest, rather she saw him in a formal suit. She knew her mind was playing a trick on her, and that it was her fantasy alone, but she would enjoy herself and indulge in it.  
  
A smile flitted across her face as Delemir held her close. He let one hand rest on her waist and the other take one of her hands. Then they began to dance to their own tune. When the hand at her waist snaked up her back to her neck, Lissa's hand at his shoulder began to tremble. His hand found that point on her neck that caused her to throw her head back on a slight moan.  
  
Delemir was being as careful and gentle with this piece of work, glass almost, as he could. He knew that it could break in his arms if he wasn't careful with it. But when he felt her carefully trimmed nails dig against his flesh, he also felt the blood in his veins become fire and blaze. But he beat the beast back down and cupped his hand against her waist, bringing her closer.  
  
He offered her his heart then and there, knowing that she could break it at any given moment. He waited patiently for her response. Her hands glided over his back slowly, causing his muscles to tremble and quiver. Her nails dug into his flesh again when they stayed in one place, causing his blood to run hot in his veins. She sighed into him, causing his heart to flutter and quiver worse than his muscles. His entire body felt his heart shake as it was held in the hands of another, waiting to see if it would be dropped or cherished.  
  
"I love you," he said against her lips. "I will always love you." Then he kissed her gently again, feeling intoxicated by her taste.  
  
Lissa sighed again, knowing everything she did to him only in a way a woman could. Here she was, twenty-two, kissing a man with about twenty-five hundred years under his belt. He offered her his heart. She had to be careful with her decisions now. Did she want his heart? Did she want his love? One word came to mind.  
  
"Yes," she said. And she took his heart and set it next to hers. She would always remember he loved her now, and what place he held in her life. 'I love you too,' she wanted to say, but found herself drowned again as Delemir changed the angle and the level of the kiss. Instead of saying it out loud, she thought it over and over again to herself, loving how the words sounded in her mind.  
  
When she drew away, she rested her head on the curve of his shoulder. She sighed quietly, wondering what she'd put herself into now. She loved him, yes, but why did it seem so strange now that she had his heart placed next to hers? She knew that he loved her. He'd told her about ten times that day. That was what scared her. Didn't he ever feel tired of saying that? She doubted it, but it still scared her when someone could say something so little yet so meaningful so many times in one day.  
  
Stifling a yawn, Lissa brought her hand to her face and rubbed her eyes. She was too tired to think now. It was what, eleven? Midnight? It was late, and that was all she needed and wanted to know. So, she went limp in Delemir's arms, so tired she didn't even know it.  
  
"Melissa," Delemir said by her ear.  
  
"Mmm," she mumbled softly, smiling as they swayed lightly still.  
  
"Come, you are tired," he said, lifting his hand from her waist to stroke her cheek gently. "I'll take you inside." When she didn't respond, or try to move, he shifted slightly so he could slip his arm under her knees and his other arm under her neck to bring her in. He had a little trouble with the door he'd shut, but he made it in.  
  
Gently setting Lissa on the bed, he realized she was still in the black dress. He wondered if he should wake her and let her know, or risk something happening to the dress with her sleeping in it. Deciding on the latter, he would make the transition easy for her so he moved to the dresser and pulled out a nightgown for her to wear.  
  
"Melissa," he murmured to her. "You need to change out of that dress." He was acknowledged with another inaudible mumbled, but she sat up slowly, surprisingly coordinated.  
  
"Zipper...in the back," she said, reaching behind her. Delemir undid it and reached around her to place the nightgown in her lap. He turned, figuring she could dress herself half-asleep. When he heard scuffling and strange woman grunts as she fought her way into the nightdress, he wondered if he should help her.  
  
When he turned, she was laying back down on the bed slowly, her hair mussed slightly. He smiled and lay down behind her, hooking his arm around her waist and kissing the skin behind her ear gently. "I love you," he murmured.  
  
"Eleven," Lissa mumbled, slightly coherent. "Eleven times."  
  
Delemir grinned when he heard her breathing adjust to that of sleeping before he could respond. He sighed and held Lissa close against him so he would be there for her when she woke. He needed that feeling. That was his last thought before jumping into the void sleep provided for nightly escape to wistful dreamers. 


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
  
Lissa opened her eyes slowly, but immediately shut them again as the sunlight poured in the windows. She turned on her belly, bent on falling asleep again. When she tried to turn, though, she found she was immobilized by an arm slung over her waist heavily.  
  
"Delemir," she whispered, shaking his arm that was around her middle. She was met by an incoherent mumble. Giggling slightly, Lissa traced lazy patterns over his hand and arm. He squirmed, slightly, but not much. "Delemir!"  
  
"Mmm," he murmured again, grabbing her hand to keep it still. "Go back to sleep."  
  
Lissa smirked. "I can't. You have me trapped where I am and I need to turn onto my stomach," she said, exaggerating her point by trying to turn over. Another muddled mumbled was a response again, but this one was closer to her ear.  
  
"Delemir, if you don't let me turn over, I'm going to jab my finger so hard in your side, you'll be feeling it for a week!" she threatened.  
  
Her answer was light nibbling on her earlobe. Lissa squeaked slightly from the surprise, then reached back and bored her finger into his side. Delemir gasped from the shock she had actually done that. He grabbed his side, her hand still working a steady hole in him. Laughing, he tried to shove her hand away.  
  
"All right, all right," Delemir murmured, lifting his arm so she could move.  
  
When Lissa shifted onto her stomach, she turned her head so she could see him.  
  
"Hi," Lissa murmured, surprised at how close their faces were at that moment. Delemir grinned at her, closing his eyes. "What happened last night? I sort of blanked out the time you told me you loved me. The first time outside."  
  
Delemir involuntarily winced, feeling a pain in the heart he'd given to her only hours ago. She didn't remember? She forgot? How could she forget something like that? So, to jog her memory, he rested his lips over hers softly, shoving his feelings across to her. "You do not remember?" he asked when they drew apart.  
  
Lissa couldn't answer him when she saw the hurt in his eyes. She felt like she should remember, had to remember. She knew it was something important that both of them couldn't do without now that something had been given as it had. Instead of answering him, she closed her eyes and embedded her face into the pillow.  
  
Delemir took her hand and carefully threaded their fingers together, the pain ebbing when he saw she felt so terrible. He brought her hand to his chest and let it rest over his heart.  
  
"I love you, Melissa. Last night, I—"  
  
"Gave me your heart," she finished, mumbling it against the pillow. "I feel terrible."  
  
"Why?" He brought her hand to his lips now and kissed her knuckles. She remembered now. Delemir felt very relieved.  
  
She made a fainted shrugging movement and mumbled something incoherently against the pillow. Her stomach hurt slightly, but she only mused it was because she'd had a glass of red wine at the restaurant and another glass of Chardonnay downstairs in the hotel bar for happy hour. But it was more, still. She shuddered involuntarily when she felt Delemir's hand fall across her lower back.  
  
"Delemir," she whispered as she shifted to sit up. "Please." She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin there.  
  
"Are you all right?" Delemir asked, sitting up and placing his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I'm fine. My stomach hurts just a little bit, though." She sighed, pressing her hand to it. She felt Delemir rest his hand over hers as he kissed the curve of her shoulder very softly. "I'm going to go shower," she muttered, slipping off of the bed and walking to the bathroom, forgetting she needed clothes.  
  
Delemir sighed, not knowing what to do with her. Had Onaumbar found them finally and he was trying to break them apart? Had he erased Lissa's memory of that night for a short while? Was he making Lissa feel as she was?  
  
Suddenly, Delemir's eyes were heavy and closed. He fell asleep again as he collapsed on the bed and into a dream. When he opened his eyes, he was standing on the grass by a waterfall and a tranquil little pool. He looked around him and saw no one, or so he thought.  
  
"So, you can't help but ask questions, can you?" Onaumbar's chilling voice asked from behind Delemir.  
  
"Is it my fault I am inquisitive?" Delemir shot back. He turned and saw Onaumbar in a dark, hunter green cloak, covering a matching outfit of slacks and shirt. The Death Giver heaved a sigh and took a step forward.  
  
"Yes, it is. It is also your woman's fault since she created your personality a long time ago," the Soul Stealer said. He grinned at Delemir, then walked in slow circles around him.  
  
"What do you mean?" the Elf demanded.  
  
"You do not remember?" Onaumbar sounded disappointed. Upon Delemir's silence, he continued. "When she was twelve she first adopted you from Lothlórien, with that other Elf, Uremir," he began.  
  
"Uremir," Delemir whispered, remembering his friend.  
  
"She molded you both how she wanted, relying only on a picture to know what you looked like. Other than that, you are her creation. She made you how you are now, gave you memories. Do you not remember?" Onaumbar asked.  
  
"I do not believe you," Delemir said, lowly. Onaumbar was standing in front of him now.  
  
"You don't? Pity, for it is the truth." The Death Giver tilted his head to an angle and sighed. "'Tis your loss."  
  
"Surely you jest," Delemir murmured, bringing his hand to his temple where a throbbing was slowly increasing.  
  
"I'm afraid to say this, but no, I am telling you no lies. She created you how she wanted you to be, then sent you on your way to Middle-Earth again until I killed you. Then, the Valar sent you to her world since you had too much to live for," Onaumbar muttered, none too thrilled.  
  
"You dirty, little—"  
  
"Uh-uh. That wouldn't be smart, my little puppet," he crooned.  
  
"Puppet?" Delemir demanded, feeling just as that. "I am no one's puppet, much less yours, Onaumbar! You will not mold me as you claimed Lissa did ten years ago!"  
  
"Too late, I already have. You led me straight to her," Onaumbar said slowly, then threw his head back to laugh maniacally.  
  
When he stopped, he lifted his hands and Delemir was immobilized where he was, though he tried to make it to Onaumbar's throat. When the Death Giver tossed his hand to the side, Delemir felt a terrible pain in his chest. Groaning, he clutched his heart. His mind blurred in the pain. He finally cried out as he fell onto his knees.  
  
A bright flash of light shone in his Delemir's face, nearly blinding him as he shut his eyes. He cried out again as he felt another sharp pang deep within him. Then, he felt a pain on his outer body, on his shoulders, like nails digging into his skin and he heard a faint voice calling his name.  
  
"Delemir," the soft voice said, sounding faintly frantic. "Delemir, wake up!"  
  
As the haziness cleared from the dream, Delemir saw Lissa leaning over him, shaking him by his shoulders. He saw the desperation and the fear in her eyes as she stared down at him. He felt her hands, like vises, on his shoulders, grasping him for dear life. Her skin was ice cold in terror. Then, he felt her body against his when she embraced him, tears streaming down her face from the fear of loosing him and the glee of him being awake finally.  
  
"Delemir," she whispered, clinging to him.  
  
"Melissa?" he mumbled, unable to move. He could still hear Onaumbar's evil laugh among Lissa's strangled sobs and gasping breaths. He felt her pull him over closer to her so he was resting partly on her lap.  
  
"Are you all right?" she asked, rubbing his face and combing her fingers through his hair gently. "You were—You were dreaming and then you cried out. I'd tried to wake you before that when you were struggling, but you wouldn't wake up. Delemir, I was so scared." She leaned over and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to his brow. "You're burning up."  
  
It was strange, he thought, that she said he was feverish when he felt so cold. He shivered slightly, chills going all through him, and clutched her hand by his face in his. He slowly brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm.  
  
"I'm here now, I'm fine," he murmured, rubbing her hand gently. "There is nothing to fear."  
  
"There is everything to fear," Lissa whispered, threading her fingers with his. "I was so scared you wouldn't wake up again, that I'd never hear your voice again. I hurt right here, Delemir." She pressed her hand over her heart.  
  
Delemir laid his head back so it rested on Lissa's thigh. He sighed audibly, shutting his eyes from the light coming through the window and onto his face.  
  
"I have to ask you something, Melissa," he said quietly, surprised at how calm he sounded.  
  
Lissa caressed his cheek gently and leaned down to kiss him.  
  
"Melissa, do not do this. I must ask you something. I know you were afraid, I know that you hurt. I believe you, but I must speak with you over something important," he said, his voice firm now. He opened his eyes and looked up at Lissa. Her eyes were slightly widened in shock, but she nodded. "All right. When I was dreaming, it was one of Onaumbar's dreams. He told me something I would like to know a true answer to."  
  
"What was that?" Lissa asked, her voice slightly hesitant.  
  
"He said that you created my personality to your will, then, when you were finished with me, sent me away to Lothlórien until I was killed and came back here," Delemir said, his voice finally quivering.  
  
Lissa closed her eyes. "It was not like that, Delemir. I grew up and thought I was too big for little games like role playing on my computer," she murmured, leaning her head back.  
  
"Explain," Delemir demanded, looking up at her. "I do not see how you could grow out of games."  
  
Lissa mumbled something inaudibly before shifting so she way lying down on her back beside him, but not touching. She was afraid to touch him now, just as she had been afraid not to touch him when he was dreaming. "I gave up my computer life for reality when I was almost nineteen, but would still go on every now and then to check my mail. That was when I decided that I was too big for games. One day, I talked to Emily on our messenger and she asked me where you and Uremir had gone off to. I told her that I had sent you two back to Lothlórien permanently.  
  
"She was appalled and asked why. I told her I was becoming older and was growing up. And, that I had my first real boyfriend in over five years," Lissa murmured, staring up at the ceiling. Delemir was silent, pressing her for more. "His name was James. He was very adult and grown up, so I felt I had to grow up and be more adult too when I was around him. Soon, I was like that all the time."  
  
"What happened after that?" Delemir asked after her sigh and long silence.  
  
"He and I dated for a grand total of three years before he left me. It was just before you showed up." Lissa's voice cracked slightly as she spoke, but she willed it to be steady. Taking a long, steadying breath, she said, "When you showed up, I guess I had just finished the first period of depression."  
  
"Did you love him?" the blonde Elf asked warily.  
  
"Yes. I loved him very much," Lissa said.  
  
It stung, Delemir realized, to learn she had loved another as well. But, he thought, that was probably why she was so wary with her heart now. She didn't want it to be broken again. So Delemir turned on his side and touched her cheek.  
  
"Melissa, look at me," he said softly, almost as soft as his touch. Lissa couldn't help but look at him. "I would never mean to hurt you in any way. You know that. You know that because I love you very much, and I will never stop loving you." He leaned down and brushed his lips lightly over hers, feeling them tremble.  
  
'Tell him,' Lissa's mind demanded. 'Tell him how much you love him and want to stay forever with him.' She squeezed her eyes shut as she had a mental argument with herself. I can't. I can't tell him now.  
  
'Yes you can.'  
  
No, I can't.  
  
"Lissa?" Delemir's voice cut through her self-argument and made her eyes come back to his again.  
  
"I need chocolate. I'm going to go down to the lobby and see if they have any chocolate ice cream," she murmured, sitting up and walking out of the room.  
  
She grabbed the cardkey off of the table and quickly left the room without a backward glance, a tear brimming in her eye and falling down her cheek. When she reached the elevator, she jammed the button as hard as she could and waited for the elevator. Did it have to take so long? As the door dinged, she looked over at the door to her room, on impulse, and saw Delemir looking out of the window at her. She stepped quickly into the elevator and rode down to the lobby.  
  
She made a quick dash over to the little store by the front desk and picked out a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. She paid an extensive amount for it, but shrugged it away as she walked back over to the bar area.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir could see her, though she was the size of an ant down stairs. He'd grabbed the extra cardkey so he could go back in after watching her. He watched her sit down there, eating ice cream from the carton and conversing with another person about this or that. If he tried just hard enough, he could hear their voices...  
  
"So, what has you eating a pint of ice cream?" the raven-haired woman asked Lissa.  
  
She looked up from the slowly depleting ice cream and finished off the rest of it off of her spoon. "Boyfriend trouble," she murmured.  
  
"Oh, that always does the same to me. Mind if I sit down?" the woman asked.  
  
"Sure, go ahead." Lissa gestured to the other seat in front of her and took another bite of the ice cream. Lissa muttered something inaudibly that brought a pleasing image to her mind of wringing a few certain men's necks.  
  
"I'm Geneva," the woman said.  
  
"Lissa," she replied.  
  
"Is there anything I could do to help? I'm a receptionist at a counseling office, but I know how things work," Geneva offered, making Lissa smirk.  
  
"I'd scare you, trust me," Lissa promised. "I have some very morbid images going through my mind right now of wringing about three guy's necks."  
  
"Wow, that's a lot. Which one is your boyfriend?" Geneva asked, as if sharing the thought bubble.  
  
"The blonde one crying for mercy as I squeeze the words I want to hear out of him," Lissa said whimsically.  
  
"And what words are those?" the dark haired woman asked.  
  
"I don't know. He's already professed his undying love to me many times before. That's what made me come down here because I just explained to him the story of me and that guy with the dark brown hair that's screeching just about now. Ex-boyfriend," she elaborated.  
  
"It sounds like you're very detailed with your fantasies," Geneva noted.  
  
"I'm a writer," Lissa improvised. "Children's stories, but I'm working on an older person's book right now."  
  
"Oh," was the comment. "You said there were three guys you were dreaming about wringing their necks. Who's the third?"  
  
Lissa hesitated a moment as she dug in her purse for something, then said, "An annoying nuisance that's the cause of my boyfriend and I meeting and having this 'argument,' " Lissa mumbled over a mouthful of ice cream, making quotation marks with her fingers. "He's the one with the jet-black hair that is running away but I keep kicking him so he has to stop and nurse the wounds on his shins." Lissa grinned wryly at her fantasy. She grinned even more when she found the small, foil-wrapped chocolate. She opened it, glancing at the little fortune or promise that was in it. 'True love and chocolate will restore all,' she thought, not thinking anything of it.  
  
"Oh, my. I guess you aren't feeling as bad as you seem to be," Geneva said.  
  
"Maybe. Depends on which guy I'm killing and how much cookie dough I'm munching on when I'm imagining it," Lissa said.  
  
"Well," Geneva began, "you seem perfectly fine, but I think you should go up and talk to your man about this thing you two are going through. After you finish your ice cream, of course."  
  
"Yeah," Lissa agreed over another mouthful of ice cream. "I might bring some back up and share it with 'my man.' "  
  
Geneva laughed, then her attention set on a tall, dark, and handsome man that walked through the lobby doors. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Lissa. I hope you and your boyfriend settle things," she said, standing.  
  
"Thanks. Maybe I'll see you around." She waved as Geneva went to the man and they began talking over this and that. Lissa shook her head and put the top back on the half full ice cream carton and started back upstairs to deal with whatever needed to be dealt with.  
  
Then the thought hit her about the promise on the chocolate. She sprinted the rest of the way to the room, ignoring any odd looks.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir sighed loudly when he heard a key in the lock of the door and Lissa coming in. He had rehearsed his apology about a thousand times now, but it still sounded so stuffy and polite. And stiflingly boring. So, he decided to wing it as he stood up from the couch and walked over to Lissa. She breezed straight past him, tossing the key on the table and going to the refrigerator that had a clone in every room. He watched her, stunned that she hadn't acknowledged his presence with even a mischievous glance yet, and saw her stuff a little carton of ice cream in the top. She stood, then, and faced him expectantly.  
  
"Lissa, I need to—"  
  
"Be quiet, Delemir, before your big mouth puts you in bigger trouble," Lissa said and pulled something out of her pocket. She quickly unfolded the foil and read it aloud. "'True love and chocolate will restore all.' " She looked up at Delemir expectantly. "Do you understand it?"  
  
"I honestly doubt we are on the same train of thought," Delemir murmured, staring at a spot on the wall just past her.  
  
"Delemir!" she exclaimed, sounding very exasperated. "You're an Elf! You're supposed to be smart! Come on, think, boyo!"  
  
"Boyo?" Delemir questioned.  
  
"Irish." Lissa sighed. She knew she had to take this step now, and confirm it. She took a step forward and slipped her arms around his shoulders, clasping them around his neck. "Do you truly love me?" she asked, quietly.  
  
Delemir winced, stunned by the suddenness of her question. But he nodded his head firmly, his eyes telling no lies. "I do," he told her. "My love will never ebb, but only grow for you. My love will not fade, even after spending years together with you. I love you, honestly and truly, Melissa." He understood what she meant, and he let her know by his elaboration.  
  
"Good," Lissa murmured before she pressed her lips softly over his, asking for sweet tenderness rather than demanding passion. She grinned when she felt how stunned Delemir was again. Though it took him a moment to react, he did and slipped his arms around her gently. 'That's more like it,' she thought.  
  
Though he soon dominated the kiss in a chauvinistic way, Lissa didn't care, as long as he was kissing her and only her. A thought of that blonde from the mall the other day came to mind, and made Lissa draw back for a breath and kiss him again, with slightly more unconcealed passion. Jealousy, she mused, made her feel good in this case.  
  
"Lissa."  
  
She felt her name formed against her lips when she drew back from Delemir only a moment. She grinned more and rested her lips against his in a softer, more patient kiss that lasted only five seconds before she pulled back to see Delemir.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, breathless. Unsteady breathing met unsteady breathing as they both tried to gather their thoughts.  
  
"I can't remember," Delemir said, rubbing her cheek. "I can't remember anything except that I love you so much."  
  
Lissa was now discovering it hurt to hear that when she wasn't able to say it back. Why couldn't she? It was only three simple words. Wait, she thought. Not simple words. There was no way to describe what those words meant to each person, much less herself. But she banked that feeling and replaced it with amusement.  
  
"Let's go swimming," she suggested, but stayed in Delemir's arms. When he leaned forward and kissed her once more, she never expected what was going to happen next.  
  
"You taste like ice cream," Delemir murmured when he drew back. He saw Lissa's lips part slightly before she laughed.  
  
"That's because I just finished eating a cup of ice cream downstairs," she told him. 'I love you,' she thought since she was unable to say it. 'I love you more than you can imagine.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir watched Lissa sigh as she stepped out of the pool, water dripping from her body and bathing suit. He looked over her slim body, slightly tanned still. He'd found out she had a year-round tan from her heritage of being Slavic. His eyes stopped at her navel on the trip back up to her face as she dried herself off. There was something shiny at her belly button.  
  
Standing, he decided he would find out what that was. It was a good thing they were the only ones in the pool then, he mused.  
  
"Hey," he said, catching her hand in his before she threw the towel down. "I noticed something."  
  
"What?" Lissa looked up at him with curiosity as he kissed her palm, his gaze dropping to her stomach. She began to wring the water from her hair when Delemir began to pull her back to the pool.  
  
"I have to show you," Delemir was saying as he started down the steps again.  
  
"What are you doing, Delemir?" Her voice sounded like his had the day they finally decided to be in a relationship and she'd cornered him in her room; slightly frightened and disturbed by her behavior.  
  
"Showing you what I noticed. Come on," he told her, still on the bottom step while she was at the top.  
  
She smirked and made a noise that he registered as a laugh. "That's assertive—hey!" Lissa shrieked as he pulled her into the pool. "Delemir!"  
  
He merely grinned at her wickedly. "Let me show you what I noticed," he said, bringing her out to the deeper part of the pool. "I've never noticed it before, which slightly puzzles me since we've been at this hotel for a while and we've gone swimming everyday."  
  
"Delemir, you're frightening me," she said sarcastically. "Tell me—" Then her words ended on a gasp as he splashed water at her and touched her neck. "Is that it? You've seen my neck a lot; what's new about it?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm just making you a little more weird so you can share in my irony when I unearth to you what I've found out," Delemir said, kissing her gently. His hand trailed down her back slowly, lingering here or there and sending a jolt through her system.  
  
Oh, the things this guy could do to Lissa to make her crazy in one sitting—without breaking any of his or her rules. When his hand circled to her waist, she felt a wave of panic go through her until she felt his hand go over her belly button.  
  
"What?" she asked, leaning against him. Boy, she was glad the lifeguard wasn't there.  
  
"This thing on your stomach—what is it?" he asked her, leading her to the shallow edge of the pool.  
  
"That?" Lissa looked down where her belly button was. "I had my belly button pieced a few years ago—like three or four or something. Like it?"  
  
"It's interesting," Delemir said, looking at the gold colored heart dangling in the hollow on her stomach where she'd once received nourishment from her mother.  
  
"Yeah. So was the time when I showed my mom and dad," Lissa joked, sitting down on the steps as a lifeguard came in. She leaned forward and kissed him gently. "A lot of yelling and punishment."  
  
"Mmm, I bet. If it was about four years ago, then you were around nineteen?"  
  
"Yes." Lissa grinned menacingly. "I went through a phase then, I think, where I was much more rebellious than I was at age thirteen."  
  
"Rebellious? You? Impossible," Delemir said, feigning shock.  
  
"Let's go back upstairs. I need to call Emily and tell her what we found out," Lissa said, standing and picking up her towel to dry off again.  
  
"What did we find out again? I am currently unable to remember that," Delemir said as he watched her dry off.  
  
"'True love and chocolate will restore all,' " Lissa quoted from the chocolate wrapper. "I did put it in my pocket, right?"  
  
"No," Delemir said solemnly as he stepped out and took Lissa's towel. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed and 'O'. "I did."  
  
Then her features turned bland as she stared at him. "That wasn't funny. Don't do that again," Lissa said. "Can I have my towel back, please? I want to dry my hair."  
  
"Why? You're just going to go take a half hour shower and wet it again," Delemir said, but gave her the towel anyway.  
  
"I don't want to drip chlorinated water all over the hotel and in the elevator on the ride up," Lissa murmured, toweling her hair off.  
  
"The elevator?" Delemir didn't sound too entirely thrilled.  
  
"You want to walk barefoot up twenty-four flights of stairs?" Lissa looked at him skeptically. "Actually, if you really want to be technical, it's really twelve flights of stairs because—"  
  
Delemir rolled his eyes at her as she continued her technicalities about the stairs. "Are you finished?" he asked her, wringing the water out of his hair.  
  
"Yes, if you are," Lissa murmured, watching him. "We really do need to do something about that." She grinned.  
  
"What? About what?" Delemir asked as he pulled on the shirt he'd brought down with him and Lissa pulled on her corduroy overalls. She picked up a towel and began to dry her hair.  
  
"You hair." Lissa grinned at his reaction. He narrowed his eyes and took his hair in his hands possessively and protectively, setting his jaw and pressing his lips together in a thin line.  
  
"Absolutely not. I have never cut my hair before, so it would seem strange, should that ever happen. No," he protested, grinning.  
  
"I was only joking," Lissa said, yawning slightly.  
  
"Are you all right? You seem quite tired," Delemir stated a few minutes later when Lissa was almost done drying her hair. She yawned again, shutting her eyes.  
  
"I'm fine. You're right, I'm just tired," she murmured. "I think I woke up in the middle of the night last night and sat there to think for a good while, but I don't remember."  
  
Delemir eyed her strangely before saying, "Do you remember what you might have been thinking about?" warily.  
  
"How cute you are when you're quiet," she said, opening her eyes and meeting his. She twisted the towel around until it looked like it'd snap then whipped it at his rear, missing on purpose by mere inches. "Go."  
  
"Do you mind if I have the shower first?" Delemir asked as they walked out of the pool area and to the bar.  
  
"Sure. Fine. Whatever," Lissa said, for the first time really hinting at her fatigue as she rubbed her temple where a slight throbbing was beginning.  
  
Delemir hit the button for the elevator and it dinged almost at once, probably either still on the lobby floor or on the first or second floor. He walked in after Lissa, then three other people stepped on for the ride. He watched Lissa carefully, noting her movements thoroughly, though there few to document. When they stepped off on the twelfth floor, Lissa stumbled slightly, but continued on to the complete opposite side of the hallway to their room.  
  
Lissa knew Delemir was watching her like a blasted hawk, and she hated it since she knew exactly why he was watching her. She was too tired, though, to do anything about it but to deal with it.  
  
As she opened the door to the room, she felt much more tired than when she was out in the hallway. She blamed it on the sudden temperature change from cold to warm.  
  
Sleep.  
  
She jumped at the word inside of her head, but calmed down best she could when she felt Delemir's hands come down on her shoulders. She smiled, slightly weak, and turned to melt against him.  
  
"I love you," Delemir murmured, wrapping his arms around her gently. He felt her breathing, the slight unsteadiness in it, and how she clung to him as if she would fall without him. It worried him enough for her to be so tired, even after swimming; but adding the extreme exhaustion and her clinging just scared him.  
  
"Are you certain you are feeling well, Melissa?" He felt her wince at the usage of her full first name. Then he felt her tense in withheld agitation.  
  
"Yes, Delemir. I'm fine. Just fine. I'm only a little tired, which is normal for after swimming," she murmured, unable to hold back the aggravation her voice as much as she'd liked. She cursed herself for the tone of voice she'd used towards him. "Look, just take your shower and I'll nap a little bit and be good as new, all right?"  
  
"All right," Delemir murmured, becoming distant. He sighed lightly before he bent down to rub his lips over hers in a quick kiss. "May I wake you when I finish showering?"  
  
"Sure," Lissa murmured, blown away by the gentleness in the single, brief caress. "As long as you kiss me once more like you just did." She closed her eyes slowly, awaiting the feel of his lips on hers.  
  
If Delemir could paint, he would do so then and call the finished portrait "Awaiting A Kiss" from the look Lissa had over her features. Her lips were slightly parted in anticipation. Her eyes were shut, their lids fluttering every now and then. Her cheeks were flushed from either the heat he brought to her blood or from the yearning for sleep. So, instead of painting the picture, he took a mental photo of it to store away in his brain.  
  
He gently kissed her again, fluently, and felt Lissa wrap her arms around him. She rubbed her hands down to his lower back, causing his muscles to quiver slightly. In turn, he nipped at her bottom lip, deepening the kiss, and felt her lips tremble under his. As she parted her lips in an invitation, he declined, feeling her fatigue just from touching her.  
  
"When I wake you, we will finish the mystery," he promised her as he drew back. He saw her nod before turning away. "Sleep with the thought that I love you."  
  
And, as Delemir left to take his shower and Lissa went into the back bedroom to nap, that was the worst mistake either of them could ever make. And it was only the beginning.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Uh-oh. What's the mistake they both made? You'll find out in a couple days. Hopefully three in the final chapter! I think it'll be the final chapter, then an epilogue to tie up the loose ends I leave. Anyhow. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I have stopped putting copyrights, or at least major ones, in here to ease my editing time when I do sit down and fix it to publish. And, considering this chapter was written over a couple day period, with a lot of breaks in between, I do not remember if there are any other copyrights I'm obliged to list. So, forgive me if there are and I have forgotten. And, just a quick note, you guys rock my world by reading this, whether you review or not. Even if no one reviewed it, I would have published it anyway once I found the idea. Or, rather, it found me. So, thanks for reading it and letting me know! Hope to see you on the next chapter!  
  
PS- *hallelujah chorus sings* I did NOT get sick, praise God! And, last night I read ALL of the remaining stuff for Love's Philosophy, thank you Lord. And, by the end of March, Love's Philosophy will be done, and you'll have a teaser from the sequel, hoo-rah, lol. But, anyway. R/R! 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
  
Melissa Hogan woke slowly upon feeling soft shaking on her arm. She opened her eyes and was met by a pair of deep violet ones. Wispy, very light brown hair tickled Lissa's face slightly as she turned onto her back. She knew just who the little girl staring at her was.  
  
"Genevieve, what is it?" Lissa asked her daughter, her voice heavy from sleep. She glanced at a clock and saw it was four in the afternoon.  
  
"Adam won't share his games," Genevieve said in a pouty, childish voice. "I asked him to, nicely, but he wouldn't."  
  
"Why don't you lie down with Mommy for a little while until Adam is tired of being alone and playing by himself? Then he'll ask you to play with him," Lissa compromised. She smiled at the look of awe that went over her daughter's face.  
  
"Okay!" Gennie quickly jumped up onto the couch and cuddled with her mother. Lissa wrapped her arm around the child's stomach and then felt little hands close around her wrist. Nothing made her feel better than the love between mother and daughter.  
  
"Melissa?" a male voice called from the back bedroom.  
  
Well, maybe a few things, Lissa mused when Delemir came in sight. He was wearing a black shirt and khaki slacks that were a little snug around the waist, but the blonde man didn't seem to mind.  
  
"Daddy!" Gennie quickly jumped up and ran to Delemir. She launched herself up into his arms and started chattering like a magpie. "Guess what—Guess what Mommy said?" she asked loudly, making both parents smile.  
  
"What did Mommy say? That she was going to tickle you until you turned pink if you didn't let her sleep?" Delemir joked, tickling the little girl's side.  
  
"No!" Gennie said, laughing. "She said that if I laid down with her on the couch for a little while since Adam wouldn't share his games with me that he would come down and ask me to play with him because he would be tired of being alone."  
  
Delemir laughed and turned on one of the numerous radios in the house, and soft opera music came out. "Gennie, why don't you go tell Adam that Daddy said he needs to let you play with him or else you can sleep in his room any time you want," Delemir suggested, grinning at Lissa.  
  
"Really? Okay!" Gennie jumped down and ran up the stairs to go deliver the message.  
  
Lissa smiled as she sat up on the couch, stretching. Delemir came over and sat down next to her. He slipped his arm around her waist carefully.  
  
"So, did you have a nice nap?" he asked her, running his finger down her nose.  
  
"Mm-hmm," Lissa replied, stretching backward and catching the scent of shampoo in Delemir's wet hair. "Did you have a nice shower?"  
  
"It might have been better had I not been alone, but you were tired after that walk, so I let you rest. Did you dream?" Delemir kissed the curve of her neck gently and felt her pulse quicken there. After twelve and a half years of marriage, he never ceased to make her pulse scramble, her breath to become uneven, and her heartbeat to race.  
  
"Yes, of you and that day thirteen years or so ago when we stayed in that hotel in Crystal City. I remember you discovered my belly button ring, and that was what I dreamed of," Lissa explained, placing a hand to her stomach.  
  
"I could rediscover it if you want," Delemir murmured, his lips still against her neck.  
  
"We could arrange that," Lissa said, shifting as his hand went over hers on her stomach. "But, I have a meeting tonight with the school board and won't be back until late."  
  
"Late is good. I like late. A lot of things happen late," Delemir said, running his phrases together as he moved to kiss her lips.  
  
"Yep," Lissa said just before his lips covered hers. He kissed her in a lazy sort of way, kind of like saying they had all the time in the world.  
  
You can have anything you want. You have only to ask it, to think it.  
  
Lissa smiled at that thought.  
  
Oh, how she wished that the stupid school board meeting would be moved to a night Delemir had work. As the phone rang, Delemir and Lissa only broke apart a moment to mumble phrases.  
  
"Adam will answer it," Delemir said, breathless.  
  
"Let's make sure," Lissa murmured, just as without breath as Delemir. "Adam! Answer the phone!"  
  
Delemir grinned at her, then kissed her again. He let his hand travel around her back and to her side. Upon Lissa's gentle sigh, his fingers dug into her side. Lissa let out a laugh that had her drawing her legs up toward her slightly, grab her stomach, and make Delemir bury his face at the base of her throat, laughing as well.  
  
"Mom!" Adam yelled from the top of the stairs.  
  
"Yes?" Lissa shouted back, her voice still giggly.  
  
"The school board meeting was canceled and moved to the twenty-ninth!" he shouted.  
  
"All right!" Lissa grinned and looked at Delemir. "Do you hear that, Delemir? No school board meeting."  
  
"Dost my ears deceive me?" he joked. "Surely you jest."  
  
"Nope. That means once we set the kids off to bed at nine-thirty, we have the rest of the night to ourselves," Lissa murmured, framing Delemir's face. "I love you." She tossed her head back as Delemir kissed the base of her neck again, gently. She thought it felt so good to say it, finally. Had she said before? Yes, nearly a million times before, not including the times in her head when she couldn't say it. She just wanted to say it over and over again and never stop. So she did, even as Delemir's mouth covered hers in a possessive manner, or in a gentle, coaxing way.  
  
"I love you," she whispered, very, very softly, at last finally deciding she'd said it enough for five minutes. "You have no idea how much I love you." She kissed him once more and sighed, leaning her head back against the back of the couch.  
  
"I might, after how many times you just told me you did," Delemir murmured, moving so he was lying down on the couch with his head on her lap. "How much longer until nine-thirty?"  
  
"Four hours and twenty-five minutes," Lissa said, carefully running her fingers through his hair. "Do you remember the day we were married?"  
  
"Yes," Delemir said, closing his eyes and letting Lissa do whatever with his slowly drying hair.  
  
"You were completely clueless on a few things—"  
  
"At the rehearsal dinner," he put in.  
  
"Yes, at the rehearsal dinner. Connor was your best man," Lissa said dreamily.  
  
"His wife was the maid of honor since you had too many close friends that you couldn't chose from," Delemir reminisced. "Both Emilys, Mischelle, and Jenny were the bridesmaid."  
  
"Yep." Lissa sighed and pressed her hand to Delemir's forehead gently. "Then I shoved the cake in your face during the reception." She paused. "And then I was met by a face-full of cake, too. Your cake."  
  
This felt so right, she thought, that she should be there, talking about past things so easily when they'd been in troubled times. There had been numerous doctor appointments for Lissa and Delemir, both, for blood tests and the fun stuff to being married, and something else that her mind was blocking from her now. What was it? What was that one thought that she felt was the key to something important?  
  
"What are you thinking of?" Delemir asked her, his voice cutting through her thoughts. Lissa looked down at him and saw he was staring off into space, but his mind was still present.  
  
"The week of our wedding," she said quietly, loosely braiding a bit of Delemir's hair.  
  
"Ahh," Delemir murmured, grinning wryly.  
  
"There were two major things that made that week. I can only remember one. We had to take those blood tests and the other fun things dealing with marriage. What was the second one?" she asked.  
  
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. I only remember one thing, and you listed it," Delemir murmured.  
  
"Mmm," Lissa said, shrugging it off. If she couldn't remember it, it must not be very important, right?  
  
Then, suddenly, they heard a shrill scream, a deeper yell, then crying. Lissa sighed, pushing her glasses back up, which had slipped down her nose. She looked down at Delemir with a grin that said 'The inevitable will always happen.' They heard stomping as both children raced down the stairs and into the living room, but Genevieve reached them first.  
  
"Mommy!" she cried, leaning on Lissa's knees and crying there.  
  
"What-y?" Lissa asked in the same whiny tone as Genevieve, already knowing that Adam had refused to let her place with something.  
  
"Adam won't let me play with his race car!" Gennie complained.  
  
"It's the new one Dad bought me for my birthday!" Adam insisted. "The silver one with the remote con—"  
  
"Quiet," Delemir said, sitting up. Both children stood up straight and looked at him. Delemir turned to Gennie first, but addressed the two of them. "Both of you, why do you fight when you know Mom and Dad are spending time together?"  
  
To his daughter, he said, "Genevieve, you can't play with Adam's car because it's new and it has a remote control. You can play with it when you're a little older."  
  
"Yes, sir," Gennie said quietly.  
  
Delemir turned to Adam now. "And you, Mister, don't play with the car on the carpet until we buy the set to make it go because I know you would upstairs, and don't play with it in front of your sister unless she wants to watch you."  
  
Adam nodded, then said, "Yes, sir."  
  
"Now, go, play and don't bother Mom and Dad," Delemir said. The two children filed out of the living room, and both adults heard Adam mumble to Gennie about them being stuck on each other.  
  
Lissa grinned and giggled at how well Delemir could handle their children. Then, Delemir turned to face her with a mischievous look on his face that was distantly serious.  
  
"And what do you find so funny?" he asked her, kneeling on the couch and leaning over her.  
  
Lissa giggled more, then said, "You."  
  
"Oh really?" Delemir grinned, his lips a mere whisper away from hers.  
  
"Mmm-hmm," she murmured as her eyes fluttered shut. She reached up and cupped his neck carefully, her fingers tangling in his blonde locks. "Have a problem?"  
  
"No," Delemir said just before his lips crushed hers. Lissa felt him slowly deepen the kiss, and she changed the angle herself as she pleased, and took thrill in knowing it still wasn't enough for him. Would he ever be tired of her? One word came to her:  
  
No.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir sighed to himself as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair. Something was wrong. He could feel it. What was it? What was that one thought that was the key to figuring out what was causing this atmosphere around him? It had been driving him mad since he and Lissa had left the pool area.  
  
Would he ever find out? He was determined to.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa sighed as she walked into the kitchen. It was time for food. She'd worked in her studio for three hours, from four-thirty to seven-thirty, without a break. She'd had inspiration for a painting, and had jumped on it immediately. She had sketched it for half an hour before she knew what exactly it was. And when she felt she had it just right, she toyed with the ideas for colors. It would be moody colors, dark blue, dark green, mauve, maroon. Colors like that. But which ones would go where?  
  
The sketches, she'd discovered, were of a man, tall and dark. He had honey- toned skin that had a light trace of a shimmer to it, as if gold dust from the faeries in her story had sprinkled it on him. His eyes, dark cobalt, would stare back at the admirer of the work with an intensity that sent tingles down Lissa's spine, even. His hair was shoulder length and inky black. The tresses looked silky and just made people itch to touch them. He was clad in the same color black as his hair.  
  
His face—one would never wish to start Lissa on that. His handsome features were sharp and angular. He had high, sunken-in cheekbones that were part of the angles on his face. His eyes, as already mentioned to be dark cobalt and intense, were placed in his face just right, giving him a dangerous gleam there. They were slanted down slightly, sending out an alluring wave to anyone who may try to cross his path, should they be brave enough. His mouth—oh, his mouth—was long and slightly curved. He looked as though he could go from murmuring sweet endearments in his lover's ear to cursing someone. The light curve was just at the tips of his lips in a kind of knowing smirk.  
  
Biting into an apple, Lissa grinned at the thought that passed through her mind. 'If I weren't married, then I'd definitely jump him in a heartbeat,' she thought wryly. 'But I am married, and he's only a drawing.' Then her mind drifted to the colors and oils she'd used on the canvas.  
  
As she'd already thought, there'd be moody colors in the picture. Just as there were dark and brooding colors there for the black of the man's hair and clothes. He would be in a deep wood with the sky, a dark, midnight blue, cloudless on a full moon. The trees, bare of leaves and covered in white snow, would gather around him, in a manner of speaking, and cover him like a roof. His hands were lifted to the sky, ready to come down in front of him. There was a path, which was swept clean of snow, he was standing in the middle of, which was made of stones with a type of emblem on them that had worn off with time, weathering, and people stepping on it.  
  
Behind him, there was a palace in stark white with inches and inches of snow atop it. It was a rangy building, with at least eight levels. Balconies were here or there on the higher floors.  
  
Lissa grinned, knowing the detail was too great in her mind to be put on canvas. And, she was only halfway finished with it. She was resting her hands now, flexing the muscles and examining the intricately painted nails at the end of very long fingers. Those hands were full of talent, but she felt it hadn't always been for painting. What else had she done that she had to use her hands, her fingers, which were slightly callused on the tips, for?  
  
Being so caught up in her thoughts, Lissa yelped slightly when she felt Delemir come behind her, slip his arms around her waist, then lift her up off the ground. When he set her down, he bent over and pressed his lips to the sensitive skin just under her ear.  
  
"I love you," he whispered to her. Lissa smiled and leaned backwards into him, looking out of the window. It was a sunny day in the middle of spring. There were flowers growing on the patch of grass across the street, and younger children were playing with their parents outside. Were days always like this? So beautiful and serene?  
  
"When did you paint your nails?" Delemir asked her, lifting up her hand to look over the glossy, golden red color.  
  
"I don't know, last night, I think. You were at work," Lissa murmured, stretching her hands again. "I was upstairs painting a moment ago, but I came downstairs for a break."  
  
"What are you painting?" he wanted to know, letting go of her and opening up the refrigerator to look for a snack.  
  
Lissa shrugged and thought of the snow in the picture. When had it last snowed? When had she last seen snow? She wanted to see it again. So, when she turned around, she saw snow falling outside of the window, and piles of it on the ground. She could smell smoke from their chimney and other people's chimneys around the block. Hadn't it just been springtime?  
  
She moved, automatically, to make hot chocolate for herself and Delemir when she decided to answer. "It's of this drop-dead gorgeous guy—" She grinned at him wryly "—who is standing in a forest with snow all around and trees overhead. It's a full moon, and the moonbeams shine down on this palace in the background that's really big and has about eight levels or something." She grinned at Delemir wryly still. "And the guy in it is really handsome, I will say again."  
  
"I gathered that," Delemir murmured, stepping toward her. "And what does he look like?"  
  
"Familiar, for some reason, like I've seen him before." Lissa poured sugar and chocolate cocoa mix into two mugs precisely, then a dash of salt to each cup. She stirred the mixture together and sighed. "His features are clear, how I see the picture. I'm trying to put them across to the person who looks at the painting, but it's hard to make others see what you see," she said with a slight long for better talent.  
  
Delemir pulled the milk out of the fridge and poured it into a big plastic cup to a line marked '2' then set it in the microwave for two minutes. When he turned to Lissa, she was fussing with her mixture of ingredients.  
  
Lissa smiled when she felt Delemir step beside her and open his arms to her. She stopped fussing so she could walk into his embrace and bury her face at his shoulder. Taking in a deep breath, she also took in his scent. When had she first smelled it and savored it as she was now? When was the very first time, ever, that she had taken in his scent, for neither her own pleasures or intentionally?  
  
Lissa shut her eyes and sighed out a long breath. When she opened her brown eyes, she was no longer in her kitchen, but looking around, dazed, in a hotel room. Then, she was yanked out of it, non-figuratively speaking, ruthlessly. She felt the jolt of it, then felt the jolt of a car accident happening on a snowy night, then being shaken by a tall, blonde person. What memories were those? When did they happen? How long ago? With whom?  
  
Then, she was shoved back into her studio, but it was later that night. She looked at a clock and saw it was eight-thirty on the dot. She sighed, knowing that she had to put Adam and Genevieve to bed in an hour. But what had just happened? Hadn't she just been standing in Delemir's arms? Then, hadn't she been in a hotel room, then a car accident—she could still hear the sound of metal coming in contact with metal—then being shaken by someone. Now, it was nearly an hour after she'd stopped painting. What had she been doing now? She was back in her studio.  
  
Turning to face her painting on a canvas, she saw that it was three- quarters of the way done, and she had only to paint the man's face and the emblems on the stones. The snow had dents in it from footprints—those of man and animal alike—and the trees had enough powder on them that it said it'd been snowing for a while before it stopped. The palace in the background was just as she'd seen it—amazing, flawless, magnificent. Beautiful.  
  
When had she done that? When had she done so much of the painting, and why didn't she remember it? How had an hour of her life just disappeared as it had? And, more importantly, why did she have all of these questions, suddenly? Did she always have questions? Were there always so many things unanswered in her life?  
  
Yawning, she felt quite tired. So, with the craving for a double chocolate mocha latte with a shot of Irish whiskey in mind, she went back to painting the intricate Celtic symbols on the stones for the pathway when she heard someone coming upstairs carefully. She recognized the steps as Adam's.  
  
"Yes, sweetie?" she asked, not turning.  
  
"Mom," he groaned. "Don't call me that in front of the guys."  
  
Lissa had to stifle a laugh as she turned and saw two of Adam's friends. So, not trying to suppress her grin, she set down her paintbrush and looked at the three boys. "I'm sorry, oh King of Avid Video Games," she said with mock respect. "What's that you have?" She indicated the tray with a cup and chocolate brownie on it that Adam was balancing on his hands.  
  
"Dad sent you come coffee and Gennie wanted you to have a brownie, too," Adam said routinely. He stepped forward and set the tray, carefully, onto a bench for Lissa.  
  
"How sweet of them." Lissa smiled as Adam turned to walk into his room with his friends. "Adam, you forgot something," she said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yes, ma'am?" He turned around again to face her and balanced all of his weight on one foot.  
  
"Your sister and father sent me something. What about you?" she grinned, having a plan in mind already of what she wanted to happen.  
  
Adam sighed and rolled his eyes with the preciseness that only a twelve- year-old could obtain as he stepped forward. He obligingly gave his mother a quick hug then leaned back on his heels. "Happy?"  
  
"Yeah, but you have a little bit of something right there on your face," she pointed out, vaguely. She glanced back at Adam's friends and grinned.  
  
The dark brown haired boy reached up and scrubbed at his face. "Where?" he asked, trying his other cheek.  
  
"Here!" Lissa exclaimed and pulled him forward to attack him with kisses on his cheek.  
  
"Mom!" Adam said, feigning disgust, but honestly enjoying the attention from his mother. "Mom, not in front of the guys!" He added the last part in a conspirator's whisper.  
  
Then, as if remembering they were there, Lissa grinned and said, "Okay. You guys have fun playing video games and whatever twelve-year-olds do."  
  
"We will. Love you," Adam said before disappearing.  
  
Lissa was touched. Even though her son abhorred her calling him little pet names or attacking him with kisses, he would still say he loved her in front of his friends. "Love you, too," she murmured, blinking back the sentimental tears.  
  
She picked up the coffee he'd brought her, then sipped it. It was a chocolate mocha latte with a shot of Irish whiskey. Shrugging it off as coincidence, she turned around again with her brush to finish the painting.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa sighed as she went through pictures in her foyer as a slight celebratory thing that she'd finished her painting. She was sitting on the dusty floor with open containers of photos all around her. She'd sifted through pictures of her wedding, of when she was carrying Adam, and when he was a baby. She was currently looking at the pictures of when he was about nine, and Gennie was three. Lissa'd had shorter hair then, at least to her shoulders. She looked so different. Why?  
  
The picture she was holding now made her eyes fill. It was of her having a tickle war with Adam. He was on the living room floor, holding his stomach and tears streaming down his face. She could still hear his laughter, the glorious sound that made a mother's heart sing when it was heard. How could one forget that sound?  
  
She felt a tear slip over the edge of her eyelid and fall onto her hand. When she heard someone coming downstairs, she quickly sniffled and swiped at her tears.  
  
"Mom?" she heard Adam say from behind her.  
  
"Yeah?" She turned and looked up at him, thinking that she could hide her emotions from a twelve-year-old and a part of her.  
  
"What's wrong?" Adam asked, sitting down on the floor next to her.  
  
"Nothing. I was just taking a trip down memory lane when I saw this picture and thought of that day." She held up the picture for him to see. "Do you remember that day?"  
  
"Yes, it was about three years ago and I almost peed on myself because you tickled me so much," he grinned. "But why are you crying about it?"  
  
"I don't know. Mom's are emotional about things with their kids," Lissa murmured.  
  
"Adam! It's your turn!" one of his friends yelled down the stairs.  
  
"In a minute, Barry. I'm talking to my mom!" Adam yelled back.  
  
Lissa smiled and looked at the picture again. Suddenly, there was a blank when she stared at the freeze-framed moment. Pieces started falling out of place and scattered everywhere except where they were supposed to go. The room began spinning around her, quickly, and she couldn't concentrate, couldn't focus. Where was she? What room was she in? Whose house was this? Who was she?  
  
In a defense to try to keep her brain from spinning with the room, Lissa shut her eyes and held the picture close to her heart. She didn't want to lose this memory or this feeling. She didn't want to lose this part of her life she felt had really happened. She finally doubted that this was real life.  
  
The next thing Lissa knew, she was sitting in Adam's room, beside his bed, and ending bedtime prayers with him. It was a shock to her system to suddenly be somewhere different, but with the same person. So as not to arouse suspicion in anyone, she tried to act normal.  
  
"Good night, Mom," Adam was saying.  
  
Lissa forced a smile and leaned forward over him. She gently pressed her lips to his forehead and said, "Good night, Adam." She stood up and watched him turn his light off.  
  
Was this a nighttime ritual between them, or did she and Delemir alternate each night? So, when she stepped out of his room with a backward glance at her son, which looked so much like her, she heard Delemir reading a story, one of her stories, to Gennie.  
  
"'Upon hearing the princess sigh contently, the prince gently kissed her and the spell was broken. They lived happily ever after in the prince's kingdom, and they ruled for a very long time,'" she heard Delemir read down the hall. Lissa looked down at Genevieve when she reached the room and saw her asleep, then up at Delemir. She closed her eyes, folded her hands under her head and then pointed downstairs. Delemir nodded at the message, then closed the book of faerie tales. "Good night, Gennie." He kissed the girl on the head, then went to check in on Adam.  
  
Meanwhile, Lissa sighed as she fell onto her bed. She was tired. Exhausted was a better word, but she was much too much of that to process it. She turned her face into a pillow and smelled Delemir there. She smiled as she remembered their last anniversary two months ago, but frowned when she thought something brooding. Was it really her memories? She couldn't say. They'd stayed home, but had sent their children to their friends' houses to spend about four or five days there. That'd given them four or five days to do whatever they wished whenever they wished and not worry about anything.  
  
Letting out a breath in a yawn, she heard Delemir walking through the house. She might have to disappoint him and move their plans to another night since she felt she would fall asleep even there. But she wanted to see Delemir.  
  
Without either of them saying a word, Delemir rounded the bed and slipped in. He took Lissa's face in his hands and kissed her firmly, a possession there Lissa didn't know. But she found she was a slave to her own body at that present moment as she felt the internal struggle saying something was wrong and when everything felt was so right. She decided on the latter and kissed Delemir back, matching his speed and rate best she could. She then forgot all of the worrisome thoughts that she'd been mulling over.  
  
"Delemir," she murmured a moment later when she found his pace was too quick. "Delemir, please." She struggled against him as his arms closed around her waist. She felt him tense and force himself to stop for a moment.  
  
"I love you," he said, breathless.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir sighed, knowing something was wrong as the hot spray of the shower came down over him, rinsing suds off of him. He just couldn't figure out what it was. It had driven him insane from the moment he had shut the door until now, and he was determined to find out what was wrong, what was giving this sense of darkness.  
  
As he shut the taps off in the shower, he grabbed a towel and dried off, the thought still running through his mind about what may be the cause of whatever was there. It was sending him further over the brink of madness.  
  
As he was pulling a pair of slacks on, the thought hit him about what it was. Lissa. She was asleep, by herself, unguarded. How could either of them been so stupid, moreover how could he have been so stupid when he'd felt something was wrong?  
  
So, he yanked the bathroom door open, shirtless, and then made his way to face his worst fear in the world:  
  
Loosing Lissa.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lissa sighed when she felt Delemir calm himself slightly, but she knew there was still tension bubbling under the surface. She shuddered inwardly at that thought, and the other thought of something being wrong. What was it? What was out of place when everything else felt so right? She had shut off the percolator, the stove was off, the children were tucked safely in bed, the doors were lock; what else could there be?  
  
"Cold?" she heard Delemir murmur when she shuddered all over again.  
  
"Just a little," she said quietly, and in spite of herself, felt goose bumps come up on her skin. "Yeah," she added, grinning.  
  
Then she felt Delemir's grasp around her tighten, and his face was buried in her hair. Then she felt his hands move up along her sides, still viciously possessive as they had been. Though she knew his hands weren't at her waist any longer, she could swear she still felt them there, tightening every so often until she felt pain.  
  
"Delemir," she murmured, now desperate. "Delemir, stop."  
  
Then his mouth covered hers, ravaging and greedy. There was no compromise in this, seeing as he took more than he gave back to her. Lissa finally admitted it to herself. She was afraid of him. Why was he doing this to her? Why was he making her crazy and causing her so much physical pain as he was? And, more importantly now, why was everything going dark and quiet?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Delemir was in shock when he saw Lissa in the center of the bed, shuddering sobs racking her body. She was straight as a pin, he noted, and trembling like an earthquake. She let out a quiet whimper that twisted Delemir's heart around.  
  
What was happening to her? What was going on in her dream? What had Onaumbar conjured now.  
  
"Delemir, stop," he heard her say in her sleep and could have retched. The Death Giver was using him as a tool in picking Lissa off of the list! Though Onaumbar hit low, this was beneath him.  
  
Seeing what he had to do from some strange insight, Delemir forced himself over to Lissa and grabbed her shoulders. She was freezing. Her skin was like ice under his hands. Shrugging that off, he shook her and yelled her name.  
  
"Melissa! Wake up! Do not believe what you see there! Come back to me," he pleaded with her. "Come back. Do not leave me!"  
  
He shook her once more, violently, and saw her open her eyes. The brown orbs were very distant. It pained Delemir to see that as she looked around the room, obviously seeing something else. When her gaze settled on him, she winced and hid her face, whimpering. Then she went rigid.  
  
"No!" Delemir cried. Whirling around in rage, Delemir let out a fearsome cry and stood. "Onaumbar, fight fairly! Even though you are a foul creature as it all starts out, using me to kill her in her own dream is very much beneath you. It is not becoming of you! Let me go to her so we may fight fairly!" he demanded.  
  
Suddenly, he felt very cold as he collapsed on the bed. Had Onaumbar finally killed him? Was he going to be sent to the Halls of Mandos or that place Lissa called heaven? Delemir couldn't give himself the answer to those questions as he felt himself sailing through the air.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Delemir!" Lissa cried, finally desperate to grab his attention and alert him to her pain. But, even as he looked up at her from pressing his lips firmly over hers again, the pain in her middle was unbearable and blinding. She felt her eyes fill and tears falling down her cheeks as she closed them. "Stop, please," she managed.  
  
She heard a laugh. It wasn't Delemir's rich, flowing laugh. This one was cold and lifeless, obviously reveling in some type of joy about something wry. Lissa opened her eyes and saw Onaumbar in front of her, forcing himself on top of her. She jolted, but was unable to move and found her senses and feelings being assaulted again with another firm, possessive kiss.  
  
"Onaumbar!"  
  
That was the most welcome voice Lissa had ever heard in her life, but was unable to jump for joy. She shut her eyes again as everything faded and found it was hard to breathe.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, the Elf decides to join us?" Onaumbar said, somehow already in front of Delemir. His voice was taunting and jeering.  
  
"What are you doing to her?" Delemir demanded. "Why are you doing this to her? What did she ever do to hurt you?"  
  
"My, my, a little desperate for answers, are we?" Onaumbar teased, grinning at the withheld emotion in Delemir's voice. "Well, I can only answer one of your questions, in a fit manner, and that is the last one."  
  
Delemir stared harshly at Onaumbar before moving over to Lissa, who was lying unconscious on the floor. The setting had changed from a bedroom to a cave, dark and dank. There were stalactite and stalagmite everywhere; above and just about beside Delemir. He lifted Lissa's head up onto his lap and felt the same cold on her skin as he had outside of this nightmare.  
  
"Is she—"  
  
"No, she isn't dead. She is merely unconscious from the pain I caused her," the Death Giver admitted. "Her mind is quite complex like an Elf's. It will tell her consciousness to shut off if it cannot handle something, like the pain." There was a smirk of self-satisfaction on Onaumbar's face as he spoke, obviously pleased with himself for understanding her mind.  
  
Delemir let off a string of Elvish oaths from anger and pain. He, too, felt a pain, and it was in his heart.  
  
Was this it? Was this the end? Was this how he was to die, holding Lissa's unconscious form? Delemir could feel his heart breaking from the simple knowledge that Lissa may not wake up and ever touch him again, ever say his name again and feel joy in how she said it. He might never hear her laugh or see the mischievous gleam in her eyes when she had something in mind.  
  
Was this how they were both to remember each other? His form had caused Lissa pain in her dream, and he would most like forever scare her if they should make it out. And the way Lissa had looked at him when she had regained some sense of control of her own body and he was outside of the dream. He had felt such hurt then, when she had dared not look at him, and from the look of pain in her eyes.  
  
"Do not let this be," Delemir whispered, desperate to feel, hear, and see all of those things again. "Do not let this be the end. I love her too much."  
  
Onaumbar, who had been gloating over himself and his accomplishment, was now glaring evilly at Delemir. That Elf had murmured 'those' words! The Death Giver lifted his hands to finally end it all quickly when a bright flash of light, emanating from Lissa, sent him a jolt and made him sail backwards.  
  
"What in the name of the Valar is going on?" the Stealer of Souls asked, breathless from the shock and pain. He let out a fierce cry and lifted his hands again, then could have sworn he'd felt a fist come in contact with his face as the bright light flashed again and everything went dark before him.  
  
What was happening? What was this bright light? Delemir wanted to know. He suddenly felt a searing heat and pain in his body that made his system jerk into stiffness. Then, he felt a sudden cold under his flesh and inside of his body, in his heart, that released the sudden grip on him. His entire body shook for a moment before the pain subsided then came back full force, wrenching a cry from him.  
  
As the bright light and the pain dulled then disappeared, Delemir hunched forward, suddenly feeling very empty. The form that was lying on his lap was deathly cold and pale and unmoving. Was she dead now? Had the light that had been coming from her signifying her death and the herald of his own demise?  
  
So, preparing himself for death, which he had cheated once before in his homeland, he suddenly felt warmth in his hands. Then, he felt a huge shudder rack his own body that caused his eyes to shut. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lissa stirring slightly. She was alive!  
  
When Lissa opened her eyes and looked up at him, she was shocked, but shocked even more when she saw they were no longer in her house, but in a dark cave with chilly and moisture-filled air. She felt unusual warmth in her as Delemir scooped her up to hold her closer. She heard a sob go through his body and then felt it rack his system. He began murmuring words in Elvish to her, most likely unable to say them in English. Then, she felt another shock when he said three words in English that she'd heard so many times before, but they'd never had this meaning.  
  
"I love you," Delemir whispered to her. "I was so afraid I had lost you. I would not know what to do if I had. I love you so much." Then, Delemir kissed her very gently, very softly, for only a moment before he felt the tears on her cheeks.  
  
Onaumbar, who had been unconscious, finally woke from the dark sleep and saw this spectacle in front of him. The Elf had given his immortality to her and revived the human! He was enraged, but had a sliver of a plan come to him to finally end them once and for all. So, he stood up casually and brushed off the dust from his black pants.  
  
"I see the woman has awoken," Onaumbar said in a cajoling voice. He walked up to them and made slow circles around them until he found a view he liked. When the two ignored him and only held each other, the Death Giver felt a sudden wave of anger. No one ever ignored him. So, he would attempt a different approached to his plan.  
  
"So, Delemir," he began, raising his voice. The Elf winced slightly, but fought to continue acting as though he weren't there. "You have confessed your love to her how many times? More times than either of you could count. Has she ever told you back? Do you think she even really cares?"  
  
That caused a severe pain in Delemir as he felt his eyes fill slightly. He blinked back the tears that threatened to show an answer and only look down at Lissa. She was obviously feeling the same hurt he was now, only she didn't hide it as a tear slipped down her cheek.  
  
"Do you love me?" Delemir hazarded to ask.  
  
You know she doesn't, a voice in his head told him. She has never given you reason to believe otherwise, has she?  
  
When Lissa didn't answer, Delemir pressed further. "I must know, Melissa, if you love me or not," he said. Then, he lowered his voice to a whisper when he spoke next. "Please, I need an answer. Onaumbar is trying to trick both of us. I can see it."  
  
Lissa shut her eyes, unable to find her voice. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say them. She felt terrible, once again. She couldn't remember strips of their time together. Had he ever told her he loved her? Had she only dreamed it?  
  
"She answers not. What does that tell you, Delemir?" Onaumbar ventured, suppressing the wry grin threatening to splay and reveal his dark plan. "Do you think she returns your love? Do you think she honestly cares if you love her or die? Is there a difference to her?"  
  
"You foul being, lift your spell from her!" Delemir shouted, sensing more tension in the air. He looked up at Onaumbar, finally acknowledging his presence around them.  
  
"Who ever said I put her under a curse? Maybe you have put it on her; maybe she has put it upon herself. We shall never know until it is lifted, shall we?" Onaumbar grinned, wryly now.  
  
Lissa, finally finding strength to battle the war going on inside of her, pulled Delemir's gaze back to hers. She opened her mouth to speak, willing her voice back to her. Sighing, she felt weak and insignificant. So she closed her eyes and concentrated on those three words she knew she must say. She concentrated on the feeling deep inside her, saying she must overcome the darkness around her and go back to the light that had once shone in her eyes so brightly. She knew what she must do to make that happen, but it was so hard.  
  
Deciding to tread on very thin ice that could break any moment, Lissa slipped out of Delemir's grasp and stood, jerkily. She sent Delemir a seemingly opposing look, a queen to peasant look, then saw the hurt in his eyes. She stood beside Onaumbar and crossed her arms, willing herself to keep up this charade.  
  
"So, she has chosen a different side," Onaumbar said, thrilled at the pain in Delemir's eyes. "Do you wish to stand at my side forever?" he asked, directing his question to Lissa.  
  
Lissa could lie only in her movements or by keeping silent, but she could never bring herself to lie verbally. So, instead of saying yes or no, she decided on something else. "Why spend time with idle speech when it could be spent conquering a world?" she asked Onaumbar. She placed her hands on her hips and eyed him.  
  
"That does have its own appeal, but there is some unfinished business I feel obligated to take care of, first," Onaumbar said. He sent Lissa a flashing grin, then took a step towards Delemir's shaking form. "Do you see, Delemir? She does not love you. All I said was true. She could care less if you died right now."  
  
Delemir ignored him, continuing to stare down at his hands. He couldn't believe it. All that he had done with Lissa meant nothing to her, while it meant so much to him? How could she just over look him as she was, as if he was nothing but a useless item? The pain and hurt he felt now was nothing compared to anything else he had ever felt.  
  
He felt a cold, firm hand close over his shoulder and drag him upward onto his feet. He closed his eyes and looked down as a tear slipped down his cheek. So, this was finally it. He was to die feeling betrayed and unwanted by all. He was to leave this realm with the withering look Lissa had given him always etched in his memory.  
  
"I regret to inform you, Delemir, that this is the end of your line," Onaumbar said.  
  
"And I regret to inform you, Onaumbar," Lissa suddenly put in, stepping forward, "that you're wrong about one thing." She kept the same look on her face for a moment longer as she stepped in front of him.  
  
"What is that?" Onaumbar asked, slightly agitated she should speak now.  
  
Lissa finally discarded the look of authority from her face and turned to Delemir. "That I love Delemir," she said, smirking.  
  
"What?" both men asked at once.  
  
"I thought you had given your soul to him to live under his rule," Delemir murmured.  
  
Lissa framed his face and shook her head. "Shh. I would never do that. I love you too much," She told Delemir.  
  
"You little—"  
  
"Uh-uh, Onaumbar," Lissa said, turning to face him. " 'True love—and chocolate—restore all,' " she quoted again. "You gave us that piece of the puzzle. You set yourself up in this trap that you knew would end like this, but you were still blind to my false submission. True love? I truly love Delemir, and he truly loves me. Is that enough true love for you?"  
  
"What about the chocolate?" Onaumbar evaded.  
  
"It came off a chocolate wrapper. Do you honestly think you can trick me into thinking I need chocolate?" She continued before he could say anything with a dignified smirk on her face. "If I want chocolate—" She held out a hand in mid air and concentrated on wanting chocolate, then it appeared in her hand "—I have chocolate," she finished, holding it out to him.  
  
Delemir watch in awe as Lissa saved the day. But nothing was happening. Why wasn't Onaumbar writhing in the pain of his own demise instead of standing there, as he was? '...the prince gently kissed her and the spell was broken.' The words drifted to Delemir's mind before he knew why.  
  
"Melissa," Delemir murmured, shoving Onaumbar's hand off of his shoulder. Lissa turned to face him and tilted her head to a side to see him from a different angle. "Nothing is happening."  
  
"Yes, I happened to notice that. What do you suggest we do?" she questioned sarcastically.  
  
"This," Delemir said before he pulled her against him and kissed her gently.  
  
Lissa drew back a moment later, then said, "I don't think kissing is a good idea right now, Delemir, since we—"  
  
An ear-splitting, pain-filled yell drowned out the rest of her words and caused her to turn to face where they were coming from. The bright light had appeared again, and there was a slight form visible in it. The light pulsed around Onaumbar, causing him to look around quickly in panic. He let out another cry as he was jolted backward.  
  
"What on earth—"  
  
"Play the fool for me," Delemir said, then pulled her against him once more and kissed her easily. When he drew back to face her, her eyes were closed and now fluttered open. "I love you so much."  
  
Lissa smiled and let her knees buckle so she was leaning against him. They both turned their heads upon another bloodcurdling scream and saw Onaumbar cornered by the bright, white light. The light intensified greatly, so Lissa and Delemir had to cover their faces with their hands to see what was going on.  
  
Then, an ethereal voice said, "I release you both from any bonds you were under."  
  
Another scream sounded out and soon the cave room was filled with the light and neither Lissa nor Delemir could see. They shut their eyes and clung to each other as a fierce wind blew around them. The scream reverberated throughout the cave and sent tingles through both of their bodies. Then everything died down and they felt somehow different.  
  
When Lissa opened her eyes and saw she was back in the hotel room, with Delemir collapsed over her. She felt unbelievably sore then, and tried to sit up. She felt Delemir stir and her body immediately went taut. He looked up at her and their eyes met, held there.  
  
"I love you," Lissa told him, touching his cheek.  
  
Delemir smiled slowly and moved up so their lips met gently. "I love you, too," Delemir murmured against her lips. They kissed again, a tender joining of lips, for ten solid seconds. "I was afraid you had left me."  
  
"Is it all over?" Lissa ventured to ask. Delemir was collapsed over her now, and Lissa was gently running her fingers through his hair in a familiar manner.  
  
"I believe so," Delemir murmured. "Are you all right?"  
  
Lissa thought a moment, then said, "Yes, other than the feeling of having undergone perhaps two hours of conditioning at ballet, but yes, I'm all right." She touched his cheek softly once more. "Are you?"  
  
"Yes, other than the feeling of having undergone perhaps two days of straight running across a giant plain, but yes, I'm all right," he said, grinning. "I will always be all right if you are."  
  
Lissa smiled at him, then felt her eyes fill. She shut her eyes slowly and leaned her head back against a fluffy, hotel pillow. She felt Delemir tense and shift so he was lying beside her. He carefully framed her face and rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks.  
  
"What is it? What is wrong?" he asked her, concern in his voice.  
  
"It hurts," she whispered quietly.  
  
Delemir thought his eyes would pop out of his head at that phrase. "What hurts? Where?" he wanted to know, frantic now.  
  
"Here," Lissa murmured, placing her hand over her heart. "I love you so much it hurts." She smiled and let out a slow breath.  
  
"Don't do that to me!" Delemir told her, his voice ironic.  
  
"What?" Lissa opened her eyes and looked at him to see him leaning on her shoulder, shaking in laughter.  
  
"Don't scare me like that. I honestly thought you were hurt," he murmured, looking up at her finally.  
  
"I'm not. I told you that," she said, sitting up.  
  
"If you think you are going anywhere, you are wrong," Delemir murmured, pushing her back down.  
  
"Who said I wanted to?" Lissa countered, shifting slightly.  
  
Delemir shrugged, then pressed his lips over hers. "I love you," he told her. "I always will love you."  
  
"I like the sound of that." Lissa grinned and held Delemir against her, his head beneath her chin so he could hear her heart beating.  
  
"I must ask you something, Melissa," he murmured a few minutes later, looking up at her sleepily. He rubbed her cheek gently and prepared himself to ask his question and to take the answer.  
  
"Huh?" was the absent response. She was running her fingers through his hair again, loving the feel of it.  
  
Delemir shifted then took her hand in his. He pressed a kiss to her palm and took a deep breath, forcing himself to look her in the eye. "Melissa Hogan, I ask you now to marry me and share your life with me forever," he said, surprising himself at how calm he sounded.  
  
Lissa was shocked at the suddenness of it—after all that happened already—but could only think of one word. Or, maybe six. "Do you really have to ask?" she demanded, pulling him against her for a kiss.  
  
"What's this?" Delemir asked when they drew away, feeling something slightly crumpled in her hand. He took it out and saw it was one of those pictures she'd told him about. He looked up at her and saw the shock in her eyes. Then he saw her eyes fill as she took the picture away to hold it and stare at it.  
  
"This is something from my dream. But why—why do I still have it? It's of something in the future," Lissa murmured, holding it against her heart.  
  
"May I see?" Delemir asked, touching her cheek gently where a tear was slipping down.  
  
"Yeah." She sniffled slightly. "Sure," she said weakly and held it out.  
  
"Who is that?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Adam, the son that we have. Then," she continued before he could ask, "that's Genevieve, or Gennie for short, in your arms. You see, I was tickling Adam that day, and..."  
  
And they lived happily ever after. For a while.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Whoopee! Last chapter finished! *Does a freakish happy dance with Delemir* There's another thing coming up, the epilogue, in a few days. You HAVE to read it. You have to, have to, have to! LOL! Anyway...Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. That is QUITE obvious from previous chapters. I own the line from that faerie tale because I made it up. I do plan to write faerie tales one day, hopefully, and also write regular books for people our ages and up to enjoy. ;) Anyhow. Stay tuned for a few more days until the epilogue, and I'll really jabber at the end there. Thanks for all you're reviews! Love you all!  
  
Blessed be, Lissa 


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
"Okay, now!"  
  
Splat!  
  
"I didn't mean that!"  
  
Melissa laughed at the sight before her. Emily stood in front of her and Delemir with a camera, snapping photos rapidly. Emilie stood behind her, snapping her own photos. Lissa turned her head and saw Delemir, still flustered from the face-full of cake he had earned himself. In the middle of a laugh, Lissa gasped.  
  
"That's great! Keep that pose there, Melis!" Emily said, grinning wryly and still snapping photos.  
  
"Aww, poor Melissa," Emilie cooed at her.  
  
"Be quiet," Lissa managed as she wiped cake from her face. "You know what, Delemir?"  
  
"What's that?" Delemir scraped icing from under his eye.  
  
"You're going to help me clean this icing off," Lissa murmured, leaning against the table and swiped at some cake from her cheek. "You really are."  
  
"What do you suggest I do?" he asked, wiping at his own cake.  
  
"What do you think I suggest you do?" Lissa exclaimed, holding out a bit of her cake to him. She grinned wickedly as he nipped it from her hand, then returned a wry grin to her.  
  
"Save it for later, you guys," Emilie said. "You two need to clean up. I'll take Melissa, you take Delemir," she told Emily.  
  
"Huh, where are we going?" Lissa wanted to know, being tugged by her arm out of the reception hall.  
  
"To clean you up." Emilie grinned at her. "The bride can't dance in a beautiful, strapless white dress with stark white cake on her face."  
  
"Oh."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Delemir, come quick!" Lissa cried from her living room.  
  
"What is it?" Delemir came running, barefoot, into the room and saw what Lissa was gushing over.  
  
"He's walking! Adam's walking!" she said, her eyes filling. "His first steps. Where's my camera?"  
  
"Come to Daddy, Adam," Delemir cooed at his son as Lissa stood to find her video camera and regular film camera. The small, one-year-old child took cautious, hesitant steps toward Delemir, but then saw Lissa in the background. Adam turned his course, but fell on his diapered bottom.  
  
"Oh," Lissa murmured, walking up to him. "Try again?" She set her hand on Delemir's knee when she crouched down again with the camera rolling. She murmured in baby talk to the small child until he used Delemir's leg to stand up with again.  
  
Adam, with his light brown, curly hair falling in front of his face, took a step toward Lissa, then looked straight in the camera and smiled. Lissa's hear melted to a puddle and tears welled in her eyes. That was her sun, her moon, her stars smiling at her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"No!" a small squeak of a child's voice cried. "Mine!"  
  
"Gennie," another voice whined. "Let me have my truck back!"  
  
"No!" Gennie screeched.  
  
"Mom!" Adam yelled, sitting down stubbornly on the floor. He crossed his arms and took on the look that only nine-year-old boys could make when they were upset.  
  
Lissa, already knowing the issue, walked in with another truck and knelt down in front of the two children. "Adam, let Gennie play with that one. You can play with this one," she said, offering him the truck.  
  
"It isn't the same one," Adam pouted.  
  
"Fine, don't play with anything for nine minutes—nine full minutes—and you can sit in that corner by my drawing board," Lissa said simply, standing up.  
  
"Okay." Adam reached up for the truck and put on a pleading look. "Please can I have the truck, Mama?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, but one thing first," she said, shifting slightly. She set the truck down onto the floor.  
  
"Hmm?" Adam leaned forward, a mistake, when Delemir came in and picked up Gennie, causing her to squeak in surprise.  
  
"What's going on?" Delemir asked, letting Gennie rest on his shoulder.  
  
"This!" Lissa cried and jumped forward. She sprang onto Adam and mercilessly tickled his sides and belly. The, oh, so sweet laughter of a child rang throughout the air.  
  
"Mom! Mom, stop!" Adam cried. "Mercy, mercy!"  
  
"Can you breathe?" Lissa asked, letting up her tickling a little, but not much.  
  
"I have to—" Adam laughed, cutting off the rest of his words. "I have to—have to use the bathroom!"  
  
Then suddenly, they all heard the digital camera clicking as it took a picture. Lissa moved her foot, off of the shutter button, and grinned when she stopped tickling Adam. He lay there on the floor for a moment longer, catching his breath, before he jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Lissa turned around and picked up the camera that had been strategically placed there, then smiled at the photo she'd taken by complete accident. She already had a copy of this photo, but was glad to see that it happened in reality, rather than in a dream. Reality, in some cases, was good.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Mom, I can't find my shoes!"  
  
"Did you check under your bed?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Closet?" Lissa supplied once more.  
  
"Yeah!" was Gennie's reply, shouted still.  
  
"Adam's old room?" Lissa asked once more from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Mom, Grant'll be here in ten minutes to pick me up! I have to find those—"  
  
"Oh, my dear sweet Lord," Lissa gasped, not hearing the rest of Gennie's sentence. "Delemir!" Lissa quickly walked through the living room into the kitchen and saw Delemir leaning over one of Adam's old electronic mechanisms. He immediately looked up at her.  
  
"Yes?" he asked, concerned about her tone.  
  
"Go look in the living room," Lissa said, utterly shocked as she leaned against the countertop.  
  
Delemir sighed and walked through the dining room, then gasped. "Uremir!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Muahaha...okay. Yeah, s'prise ending, I know. But, you should be used to them! I think I'm going to have a beta other than myself for the SEQUEL since it takes up WAY too much of my time for school, whereas my friend who will beta, is graduating this year, so, yeah. Hoo-rah for her. Time for special thank yous:  
  
Charli-You've been here from the beginning, yet never reviewed...( Why? lol A little late to ask now, right? But, anyway, the sequel, still to be named, is coming up in a few days, so at least review once? Lol  
  
Katy-You have also been here from I believe the beginning, and have reviewed faithfully, so I thank you soooo much for that! And, thanks for the prayer when I needed it. What is really strange about chapter 15 is that I had a lot of weird dreams that were so real and sort of like the dream in that chapter, after I wrote it, it's not funny.  
  
Chantal- *big hugs* Thank you SO much for being here and throughout all of it! I'm lucky to have a friend like you, regardless you live almost 12 hours away. ;) But, I hope things work well with that original story of yours! That chapter you let me read was awesome, but remember what I said about more detail.  
  
Anyone else that I am most likely forgetting, lol, thanks!! It means a lot, and I hope that you'll stick around for the sequel. In the meantime, wait a few more days for a teaser, to give me more time for thinking up a creative title. To tell the truth, the title for this actually came from a love poem. *blushes* strange, I know, but oh well. I was in Branson, MO, when I thought of it. ;)  
  
Talk y'all soon. 


	17. Teaser For The Next One

A/N: Ta-ta! The teaser for the next part of the story! Enjoy it! It's very short, but oh well! The real chapters are about as long as Love's Philosophy's were. But I need a title! Review with an idea for the titles, ok? Talk to y'all later! I won't be updating for a while now, because I'm gonna be gone, so, yeah. Oh yes, I own nothing from Tolkien's world. I merely trespass on his work momentarily. I own Risa and Lass, so far.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
A copper-headed she-Elf curled up on a chair two-times too big for her in front of a cozy fire, her feet twined together carefully. She sighed as she felt the warmth of the fire heating her skin. She hummed an Elvish tune, a soft and sultry one that sounded mildly seductive. The wind whispered outside in the trees, adding to the song. Tomorrow, her best friend would return from a mission he had been sent on by Lady Galadriel herself. His brothers, close friends, acquaintances, and some Elves he did not even know at all would accompany him. That thought made her smile. Everyone knew Haldir ó Lórien.  
  
She had to admit, a few months ago, at least seven, she did not know him. She had just moved there with her brother from Rivendell for some reason he had yet to tell her. She quickly met Haldir at the dinner party Galadriel had held for someone's birthday. Since it was not important to her, she could not remember whom it belonged to. But she remembered when she had first met Haldir, she had been standing there, alone, with a goblet of Saerloonian Glowfire in her hand, whilst her brother, Risa, charmed she- Elves.  
  
When the orchestra had begun to play a slower song, Haldir had asked her to dance from the good of his heart. It was very rare for Haldir to do something like that, she had learned quickly the next day when asking him something of unimportance now. He had brushed her off and would have continued to until he felt compelled to cheer her up again about a week after the party when she was feeling particularly homesick for Rivendell.  
  
He had been so sweet then, so sincere when he had asked her what was wrong with her. She had explained she missed Rivendell, and Haldir said he understood, what with him being the Lady Galadriel's most trusted Marchwarden and being sent on assignments a lot.  
  
After than, it was history. They were now best of friends and nothing more.  
  
"Lassewen," Risa said, coming behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed. "It is late. You should sleep, for you must wake early if you wish to see Haldir and be first to greet him."  
  
Lassewen smiled and closed her eyes as her brother massaged her shoulders gently.  
  
"You are very tense, Lassewen. You must not let yourself become this way. It is what causes your headaches," Risa mumbled, rubbing the base of her neck.  
  
"I know, Brother. Thank you for worrying, but I am fine," Lassewen insisted, smiling. Risa returned the smile as his sister stood. "I love you, brother," she murmured as she hugged him.  
  
"So do I," Risa replied.  
  
"Good night." She gently kissed his cheek then left their living room and went to her room, listening to the sounds of night outside.  
  
When she reached the light blue room, she picked up a leather bound book from her desk and lay on her bed. She opened it to an empty page and sighed, reaching over to pick up a pen and inkwell. She sighed before pouring her heart out on the parchment.  
  
'Tomorrow, Haldir returns to Lórien. It has been long since I last saw him. It feels an eternity, though in reality, it has been one and a half months,' she wrote. 'I miss my friend greatly.' She smiled fondly at his memory. 'I heard tell three days ago that he would be returning with more Elves for Marchwardens. That, evidently, means he will be working hard on training them. I will ask if I can help him tomorrow morning when he returns. But, until then, this is farewell. Blessed be, my friend.'  
  
Lassewen shut her journal with a snap and set it on her nightstand. She slipped under her blankets and fell into quiet slumber, the fire glowing gently in the corner of her room. 


End file.
